One Small Change
by Juura99
Summary: Sasuke is depressed and angry, rebelling against his family and causing trouble. But when he meets the five year old son of their new neighbours, Sasuke's life changes as he finds himself watching out and caring for the lonely child with the golden smile.
1. Chapter 1

**This was originally supposed to be a one-shot...but then when I looked at the word count after I finished it, I saw it was over 23,000...so I decided I could afford to split it in half. Even so, the two chapters are looong. XD Anyway, I hope you like it!**

**Beware the fluff...seriously, it will smother you alive. O_O I think this is one of the fluffiest things I've ever written...**

**Warnings: Fluff (it's so bad it deserves a solid warning) language, some OOCness for the sake of the story. Kinda shounen-ai-ish?**

**Disclaimer: If only...if only... T^T**

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><p>Sasuke inhaled the smoke of his cigarette, black eyes lazily observing the street below him. His jean clad legs hung over the edge of the bridge, heavy metal-tipped boots shining in the fading sunlight. A cool breeze didn't even stir his jacket as it was covered in heavy chains and spikes. He took another deep breath before flicking the stub of his smoke downwards, smirking when it hit someone's windshield as they drove. He blew out the cloud of toxic fume and leant back against the railing. It was getting late.<p>

He reached up, grabbing one of the chains on his jacket and dislodging it. He wrapped it through the bars behind him before sliding it around his torso and clipping it tightly. Then, he let his head relax and closed his eyes intent on catching some peaceful sleep before he had to go back home.

An hour later, he jerked awake when cars hooted below as they sped down the motorway, and with a suppressed yawn he unclipped the safety chain and replaced it onto his attire before standing and vaulting over the bars.

The streets were dark with only a few sparse street lamps actually staying lit. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, eyes roving over the area for any potential threats. He found none, as usual. He'd already marked his territory in this area. He almost missed the trouble-making teens that tried to impose on his area. Now that they all stayed away, it was so quiet and calm. He no longer had any excitement.

The sixteen year old reached his block and sighed as his house came into view. He kicked a stone out of his path as he walked up the steps and shouldered through the front door, not bothering to call out his greeting.

There were heavy thumps before his older brother's face peered around the corner.

"You're past curfew," the raven informed his younger counterpart emotionlessly. "Father's angry."

Sasuke scoffed. "Father can suck his anger out of my dick," he retorted softly, and his brother gave him a disapproving look.

"Say that again, Sasuke, and we'll see who's sucking whose dick after tonight," he warned, raising his hand and harshly jabbing the younger between the eyes. Sasuke hissed, rubbing the area.

"Go fuck yourself Itachi!" he snarled and was met with another harsh jab.

"Last warning brat; one more word out of line and my hand will go so far up your ass you'll be licking my Goddamn fingers!" Itachi said evenly, but his eyes showed he would make good on his threat. Sasuke growled but didn't say anything, instead just turning and stomping up the stairs.

"Sasuke!" his father's stern voice said and he heaved an annoyed sigh, stopping outside his door.

"What?"

His father rounded the corner and glared at him. "First of all, don't take that tone with me. Second of all, why are you so late?" he demanded and Sasuke shrugged.

"I felt like staying out."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes and mimicked him "'I felt like staying out'," he repeated in a higher pitched voice. "Sasuke, do you know why I put a curfew?" he asked and Sasuke's lips pulled back in annoyance.

"Because you hate me and want to make my life miserable?" he supplied mockingly.

Fugaku growled. "Keep using that tone and I'll show you just how miserable you _could_ be. No, I put that curfew because the streets are dangerous past that time and I actually give a shit about your safety. You're my son and I love you, despite how much of a boot up the ass that you might need."

Sasuke scoffed loudly, yanking his door open. "Bullshit. You don't love me at all," he snapped and trudged into his room, slamming his door behind him. He distantly heard Itachi calling out to their father.

"_Now_ can I shove my cactus up his ass? _Please_?"

He growled to himself, locking the door just in case and crumpled down onto his bed, not even bothering to do more than kick off his boots.

He wrapped his arms around his pillow, burying his face into it. In the room of dark colours, heavy metal posters and skulls and cross-bones galore; the lace-edged sky blue pillow was entirely out of place. He sniffed the material, finding his body relax ever so slightly at the nostalgic and comforting smell.

'_Mom..._'

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><p>Sasuke let out a groan when he was pulled from sleep by a loud beeping outside. He rolled over, eyes opening blearily. He blinked once before shooting up in bed.<p>

"What the fuck are you doing in my room, Itachi!.?" He yelled angrily, glaring at his older brother who was standing by the window with a cup of coffee in his hands.

Itachi didn't even grace him with a look, simply sipping his coffee calmly. Sasuke looked at his door and growled.

"I locked it! How did you get in?" he snarled.

Itachi took another gulp before placing his mug down on Sasuke's computer desk, making sure to slam it a bit harder than needed and spill some coffee onto the magazine sitting there. He smirked at the growl the action received before lazily pointing to the door.

"Father decided that you've abused the power of a door lock for too long now. You no longer have a door handle," he informed.

Sasuke turned wide, horrified eyes to see that yes...his door handle had been completely removed. He let out an angry yell, jumping off his bed and storming out of his room.

"We've got new neighbours!" Itachi yelled after him and his response was a loud shout of-

"FUCK OFF AND DIE!"

Fugaku was reading his newspaper calmly when his youngest son stormed into the kitchen.

"Give me my door handle!"

The man didn't even bat an eyelid. "No."

"GIVE IT BACK!"

Fugaku turned a page. "Learn some manners and maybe I'll consider it."

Sasuke fumed angrily. He reached out, grabbing the newspaper and tearing it in half. "FUCK YOU!" he spat in rage.

The movement was so fast; the younger boy never saw it coming. His head snapped to the side when his father hit him across the face with the back of his hand.

"You will not raise your voice, nor use such language with me!" Fugaku said softly, but the threat and anger in his tone sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. Angry, holding his stinging cheek, Sasuke turned and stormed out of the house. In his rage, he did not see Fugaku fall back into his seat, or hear the soft whimper of 'Mikoto...' left behind.

He crashed down the steps, hand pressing over his cheek. He was sure it was going to be bright red and he cursed.

As he stepped onto the gravel street, he heard calling and turned to see that a moving truck was driving off, a young couple waving to the driver. He frowned, realizing that these must be the new neighbours Itachi had spoken of. Not wanting to attract attention to himself, he slinked off to the back garden and sat underneath the large spruce tree, picking at his jeans and mentally cursing his existence.

He was halfway through a rather entertaining fantasy of Itachi getting thrown into a vat of acid when something bouncy collided against the side of his head. Blinking, in no real pain, he looked down to see a bright orange ball sitting on the grass. He reached out, picking it up and examining it.

There was movement to his right and he turned to see a pair of huge blue eyes staring at him from over the fence separating their garden from the neighbours. Bright yellow hair sat atop the boy's head. His skin was slightly tanned and he had strange whisker birthmarks on his face. He looked no older than six or so and his ocean blue eyes were focused on the ball in Sasuke's hand.

The raven frowned, looking at the ball and then the boy. He raised it up a bit and called out.

"Oi!"

When the blue eyes shifted to him, he twitched the ball. "Is this yours?" he asked.

Blue eyes blinked and then the boy nodded. "Yeah," he said; his voice soft and high. He was definitely no older than six.

Sasuke nodded and tossed the ball towards the kid, watching as small tan hands reached out to catch it.

"Hn. Keep it on your side of the fence, kid," he said and turned away.

"You look like a cockatoo!"

Sasuke's eye twitched and he snapped his head around to glare at the kid. "What'd you say to me?" he demanded and the blond smiled.

"You're hair! It looks like my cockatoo's head! It's cool!"

Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of that. While he wasn't fond of being called a cockatoo, the kid obviously meant it as a compliment. He settled for grunting and turning away.

"Whatever."

He felt the kid staring at him for a while before the blond finally turned and continued playing with his ball.

Sasuke sighed and stood up, brushing off his pants and walking into his house to shower. He was starting to smell like smoke.

* * *

><p>Sasuke smirked as the arm around his shoulder jostled him a bit. His ears were assaulted with a harsh bark of laughter and he shoved at the person next to him.<p>

"Knock it off, Suigetsu!" he growled playfully, and his friend withdrew his arm, laughing.

"Yeah yeah, grumpy! But damn, that little bitch was crying so hard after you dissed her!" Suigetsu said and let out a howl of laughter. "That was so sweet!"

Sasuke shrugged, uncaring really. He turned down requests for relationships daily; it was no news to him. Suigetsu, however, seemed to really enjoy watching the girls reactions as they were continuously shot down in public.

"Hn."

"A'ight I get it! Don't wanna go on about it!" Suigetsu shrugged, pulling up his jacket as they arrived at Sasuke's house. They sat down on the front porch and Suigetsu pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting two and handing one to Sasuke.

They inhaled the fumes, looking out at the neighbourhood.

"Man, don't you wish you could just...like, fucking _leave_?" Suigetsu murmured and Sasuke nodded.

"Every damn day," he agreed.

They sat in silence for a long while after that, just smoking and thinking about life when a car pulled up.

"Hey, you got new neighbours?" Suigetsu asked and Sasuke nodded, observing as the car doors opened and a tall blond man stepped out. The back door swung open and Sasuke saw the small blond from the day before climb out. He had a bandage wrapped around his arm, and was struggling to pull out his back-pack. Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he noticed the father was talking on his cell-phone, oblivious to his son's struggle. His eyes narrowed further when the man walked towards the house, leaving the young child alone as he argued with someone over the phone.

The small blond was struggling even more to pull his heavy bag from the car. It seemed to have gotten caught on the seat and he couldn't use his other arm.

Sasuke watched him for a few more minutes before sighing and standing up. "I'll be right back," he said, flicking his stub into the road before he made his way towards the neighbour's driveway. He easily vaulted over the small fence and walked over.

The kid was oblivious to his approach, and only realized he was there when Sasuke reached down and easily dislodged the back-pack from the car. Big blue eyes blinked up at him before a white smile was flashed his way.

"Thanks!" the kid said and Sasuke nodded, handing over the bag. "Hey...you're the Cockatoo guy!" the kid exclaimed and Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch again at the name.

"Hn. My name is Sasuke," he corrected and the kid smiled.

"Oh. My name is Naruto!" the blond said happily and Sasuke nodded, unsure of how else to reply.

"...You should head inside," he said finally, nodding towards the front door of the blond's house. Naruto looked over and sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Dad's probably going to yell at me for taking so long," he mumbled as he slammed the door closed and lifted his bag onto his back with one hand. Sasuke raised a brow at his words.

"You didn't take that long," he said and Naruto smiled.

"Yeah, but it's Mom's birthday tomorrow and dad wanted me to help him bake a cake, because he's hopeless at cooking," Naruto said and chuckled lightly.

Sasuke smirked. "And you know how to cook?" he asked mockingly.

Naruto nodded. "Yep. I used to cook for us all the time before we moved here," he said and Sasuke's smirk vanished.

"Why did you cook? Why not your mother?" he asked in confusion and Naruto shrugged.

"Mom and Dad are always busy with work. I do all the chores and stuff every day," the small kid said just as his father stuck his head out the door.

"Naruto! Come inside now!" he called, and Naruto waved back.

"Coming Dad!" When the man disappeared, Naruto turned to smile at Sasuke.

"Thanks for helping me. See you later Sasuke!" he said, walking away.

Sasuke was still frowning. "Hey Naruto," he called and when the blond faced him he asked "How old are you?"

Naruto smiled. "Five and a half," he declared before turning and trotting up the front steps and through his front door.

Sasuke stood by their car for a while, staring at the door the blond had gone through. He was only five and yet he was cooking and cleaning?

Thinking, he turned and made his way back to his house. Suigetsu was texting someone and he let out a growl.

"Shit, I gotta go," he grumbled. "My brother's having a hissy fit. See you tomorrow yeah?" he said, giving Sasuke a punch to the arm. The raven nodded absently, bumping fists with the other boy before heading inside.

Itachi was reading in the kitchen and looked up when Sasuke entered. "You actually came inside before curfew. Let me guess," he closed his book and folded his arms, "There are hordes of zombies attacking people and the sky is turning red with the apocalypse?"

Sasuke didn't react to the jibe, instead falling into a seat and leaning on his arm. He kept quiet, still lost in thought when Fugaku entered the kitchen. The older man looked confused at seeing his two sons in the kitchen together and there was no blood present, and for a moment he hesitated.

"...Should I fear for my life?" he asked Itachi. His eldest shrugged and Fugaku frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

Itachi shrugged again, looking at Sasuke. "He just came in, sat down in a Socrates pose and hasn't said a word since," he informed and Fugaku took a seat.

"Sasuke? Is something wrong?" he asked slowly.

Sasuke continued to stare into space and the older raven's shared concerned looks. Suddenly, the younger boy looked up.

"Is it considered child labour for a five year old to do the cooking and cleaning when his parents are busy with work?" he asked, and both the older males blinked in surprise.

Fugaku frowned, scratching his chin. "Well...I suppose it all depends on the child. If he voluntarily does it and the parents are truly busy with work, then I don't think so. But five years old? I don't know of any child that can cook at that age. Honestly, I don't know," he said with a lilt of his shoulders. Sasuke frowned, biting his lip.

"Why Sasuke? Do you know a little five year old being made to do that?" Itachi asked curiously, wanting to encourage his younger brother's newfound communicative attitude.

Sasuke shrugged lightly, peering out the kitchen window. "...The neighbour's kid, Naruto," he said softly.

Itachi looked out the window. "You mean that tiny little blond kid I've seen in the back garden?" he asked and Sasuke nodded curtly. "Hm...I thought he was six or so," he mumbled.

"So did I," Sasuke replied before abruptly closing his mouth as he suddenly realized who he was making polite conversation with. He huffed, pushing away from the table and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm going to bed," he clipped and turned away, trudging up the stairs.

Fugaku and Itachi shared a look.

"It was nice while it lasted."

"Yep."

* * *

><p>Sasuke spent the next week silently observing their neighbours house. For some reason, he just couldn't get the image of Naruto being forced to do work out of his mind. He knew he was probably being stupid, and that the boy's parents weren't evil trolls working him to the bone. They were obviously just the type of parents that worked very hard to provide for their family.<p>

Even so, he would always look out his window in the morning and watch them leave to take Naruto to school and themselves to work. And by now he knew that Naruto's school or day care, he wasn't sure, ended at four thirty.

On the odd occasions that he managed to talk to Naruto, he tried to subtly probe about his living conditions. The concern he felt for the kid's well-being was confusing to him, but he decided not to think on it. It gave him a distraction from his own insecurities and issues, and he gladly welcomed that.

But Naruto was rather reserved when talking about his parents work. He always said that they worked hard to pay for bills-which led Sasuke to wonder how the boy could know all about bills and incomes and other adult worries at such a young age- and assured Sasuke that he was fine.

After another week, Sasuke was lounging in his room. He made a point to be home at around four fifteen every day now, so that he could see when Naruto got home safely. His father and brother, though confused by the sudden change, were visibly delighted. Not that Sasuke cared about them.

He looked out his window, having been occupying his time by doing the last of his homework, and saw the Uzumaki's car. He had finally learned Naruto's last name, and had immediately looked them up online. He felt like a bit of a stalker for doing so, but shrugged it off.

He watched as the blond man stepped out, on his cell-phone once again. He knew the wife worked much later, so she wasn't home yet. His eyebrows furrowed when no one else stepped out of the car.

Where was Naruto?

He knew the blond hadn't stayed home because he saw him get into the car that morning for school.

Something in his stomach curled unhappily and he bit his lip, pushing away from his desk. He grabbed his jacket and wallet, as well as his phone, and hurried down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asked, having just stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair.

"To check something. I'll be back soon," Sasuke called absently and he missed the look of pure surprise on Itachi's face.

"...He actually answered me," the older raven said in awe, staring at the door.

Sasuke jogged down the street, heading into the town. He recalled Naruto telling him he went to 'Konoha Hills'. He thought it was a day-care crossed with a school, but didn't really bother to check.

He walked through the streets quickly, passing liquor stores and drug stores as well as many other places that he was sure were not safe for a kid's school to be around. He gripped his hair, frowning and ran over to a group of woman standing outside a jewellery store.

"Excuse me," he said and they turned to him. "Which way is Konoha Hills?" he asked and for a moment the women looked suspicious.

"Why do you need to go there?" the eldest one asked calmly, narrowing hazel eyes at him.

"I need to pick up my little brother today," Sasuke lied. The women shared looks before the one that had spoken sighed and brushed her two blonde pigtails over her shoulder.

"Follow this street until you reach Lotus Drive and then turn left. You'll know it when you see it," she said and turned back to the window.

Sasuke mumbled a thank you and rushed off, jogging down the street. He followed the woman's directions and sure enough, he easily spotted the bright coloured building that simply screamed 'children'.

He headed towards it, eyes searching over the playground. It was then that he saw a small figure clad in orange sitting on a swing under a tree, looking at their feet.

Naruto.

He headed up to the entrance and slid through the door. A woman with long black hair and lavender eyes looked up and blinked.

"U-uhm...can I h-help you?" she asked softly standing up.

Sasuke caught his breath, looking out the window at Naruto. "I'm here to pick up Naruto," he said and the woman jerked.

"O-oh! His p-parents didn't t-tell me they c-couldn't fetch h-him again t-today," she said nervously, shuffling around the table.

Sasuke's eyebrow touched his hairline. "Again?"

The woman nodded, walking towards him and he caught her name tag. 'Hinata'.

"Y-yes. Sometimes their w-work keeps them so b-busy they cannot p-pick him up. So I t-take him h-home," she explained. Sasuke thought back, remembering that he had seen the car sometimes drive off after Naruto was dropped off at home. Since it was the same kind of car, he had assumed that his dad was just rushing to more work.

Deciding not to point out that Naruto's parents had actually forgotten about him today, Sasuke just nodded.

"Right. Well they're busy today, so they asked me to pick him up," he said and Hinata gave him a once over.

"S-sorry but...who are you e-exactly?" she asked, no doubt wondering about his chained-jacket and gothic appearance. Sasuke almost wished he had chosen to wear something less dark today.

"I'm his neighbour, Uchiha Sasuke," he said and Hinata nodded.

"Ah yes, N-Naruto has spoken a-about you before," she said with a smile and Sasuke was definitely surprised.

"He has?"

"Y-yes...he said you were a 'very cool c-cockatoo boy next door'," Hinata repeated and giggled lightly when Sasuke's cheeks flushed and his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Hn."

Hinata smiled and led him outside. "Naruto!" she called and the little blond looked up, eyes widening when he saw Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" he called, jumping off the swing and trotting across the ground. "What are you doing here?" he asked brightly and Sasuke adjusted his jacket.

"I'm here to fetch you," he mumbled and Naruto tilted his head.

"Really? Why?"

Sasuke frowned. "Your...dad...is really busy, so he asked me to come fetch you," he lied. Naruto looked ecstatic.

"So he didn't forget about me! I knew it!" the little blond cheered and Sasuke felt a brick of anger lay in his chest. That was _exactly_ what the blond's father had done and Naruto had been scared of that. He decided then and there that he would have a word with Mr. Uzumaki that very evening.

He nodded to Naruto and then to Hinata, turning and walking away while Naruto waved goodbye to the teacher and grabbed his shoes and jacket.

"Ne, Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he trudged alongside the raven. "Thanks for coming to pick me up!"

Sasuke just grunted, looking around. The light had faded slightly, and the street lamps were starting to light up. He guessed it was nearing five thirty. He glanced to the side, seeing some guys hanging out in an alleyway. His eyes narrowed into a glare when they sent a look his way, eyeing the small blond by his side. He reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling the blond closer while sending the deadliest look he could at the group of guys.

They turned away, making Sasuke smirk. Even in this area, he was feared.

Naruto had gone quiet when his hand had been taken, but he quickly returned to his bubbly talk, describing the events of the day in vivid- and undoubtedly exaggerated- detail. Sasuke listened with one ear, but his attention was caught when Naruto mentioned a bully.

"You got bullied?" he asked, frowning. Naruto looked at his feet as he walked, his head dipping.

"Yeah. He wanted to take my fox toy, but I said no. He pushed me out the sandbox and I landed in the bushes," Naruto said, stopping and pointing to his knee. Sasuke leant down and saw there was a cut on the tan knee. He frowned, and knelt down. Without much thought, he licked at his thumb and then wiped away the small remnants of blood and dirt around the small wound. Naruto winced but didn't say anything as Sasuke cleaned his cut like the medical amateur he was. When he'd gotten rid of at least the dirt and grime around the wound, he sat back and examined it.

"You'll need to disinfect it and put a band aid on," he informed and Naruto nodded.

"Right!" Then he smiled brightly, reaching out to grab Sasuke's hand again as they continued walking. "Thank you Sasuke!"

Sasuke nodded, looking up at their approaching houses. He narrowed his eyes, already thinking of things to say to Mr. Uzumaki. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Sasuke lay on his bed, tossing a small baseball against the wall repeatedly and catching it. Three nights ago, he had tried to talk to Naruto's father, but the older blond had been rushing about his house like a madman, contacting this person and that when he dropped Naruto off. The blond had spared a moment to shake his hand, thanking him profusely for fetching his son. Sasuke had opened his mouth to start talking then when the phone had rung and Mr. Uzumaki had scrambled off with a quick apology to answer it, slamming the door in Sasuke's face.<p>

Since then, Sasuke hadn't had a chance to contact any of the Uzumaki's. His school was having exams and he'd had to bite the bullet and take some time to study to avoid being held back a year. His last exam was tomorrow and he'd already studied for it earlier, well sure he could tackle it without fear now.

There was a knock on his door, which still lacked a handle, before his father peeked in.

"Sasuke, have you studied?" Fugaku asked and Sasuke grunted, nodding lightly. "Good. Dinner is ready, so come down and eat, alright?" Another grunt and nod and Fugaku almost smiled. During the past week or so, Sasuke's temper had gone down and he no longer rebelled right off the bat. Sure, he still had his angry outburst when pushed, but they had decreased drastically.

Fugaku wasn't entirely sure what had made the change, but Itachi had told him about Sasuke's newfound interest in the neighbour's young child. At first, he'd been concerned of Sasuke's motives. God forbid his son turn out to be some kind of child molester, but luckily Itachi had been observing Sasuke's interactions. The elder Uchiha was observant enough to assure him that Sasuke had no intentions of the sort.

Sasuke stopped throwing his ball and let it roll onto the floor as he sat up. He followed his father down the stairs, glancing out the window at Naruto's house. The lights were on and he could make shapes through the curtains that he guessed where Naruto's parents.

They headed into the kitchen, where Itachi was placing down the plates of steak and mashed potatoes.

There was no conversation between them as they began to eat. Sasuke had just taken a rather large bite when their doorbell rang suddenly. Jumping, he made an odd choking sound and grabbed his throat, a piece of his steak having lodged there in his surprise. Itachi was quick to reach across the room and slap Sasuke on the back hard. After two hits, Sasuke ducked his head low and coughed up the piece of meat onto his plate, staring at it in disgust.

"...I hate steak," he mumbled and Fugaku chuckled as the doorbell rang again.

"Itachi, would you please get that?"

Itachi nodded, walking down the hall and pulling open the front door. "Oh, Naruto-kun," he greeted and Sasuke whipped his head around to peer outside the kitchen. Fugaku held back his laughter at seeing his youngest son leaning on his chair until he was practically horizontal just to see the doorway.

Naruto stood on the front porch, wrapped in a jacket and holding a large measuring cup. He grinned lopsidedly, rubbing his hair sheepishly.

"Hello...um," he looked up at Itachi and blinked. "...Big-Sasuke?" he asked slowly, indicating he had no idea what to call Itachi. Sasuke smirked when Itachi sent him an apprehensive look, undoubtedly miffed that Sasuke hadn't talked about him.

"My name is Itachi. I'm Sasuke's master, and he's my slave," Itachi said and smirked when he heard Sasuke fall off his chair.

"Lies!" Sasuke hissed, striding down the hall. "Don't listen to him Naruto! He's my slave and I'm the master!" he insisted and Naruto laughed.

"Cool!" the blond said, not entirely sure what to think but finding it funny anyway.

Sasuke frowned, noticing that neither of Naruto's parents was there with him. "What are you doing outside this late?" he asked and Naruto snapped his fingers.

"I came to ask if I could borrow some sugar," Naruto said, holding up his measuring cup. "I'm making biscuits and we don't have enough sugar."

Itachi blinked. "You and your mom are baking?" he asked, smiling at the thought. Naruto shook his head.

"Nu uh, Mom and Dad are at a dinner party. I'm making them myself," he declared proudly.

Itachi looked horrified at the very thought of Naruto being alone at this time and trying to cook. Sasuke growled to himself, once again trying to understand the thought pattern of Naruto's parents.

"They just left you home alone?" Itachi gasped. Naruto laughed slightly.

"W-well, they think that I've got a babysitter...but Sakura couldn't come over tonight so I'm taking care of myself."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and turned around. He walked into the kitchen, opening a cupboard and grabbing the unopened sugar pack. Taking that, he headed back towards the front door and opened the hallway closet, grabbing a jacket.

"Come on, I'll watch over you until your parents come home," he said and ushered Naruto down the steps. The blond grinned brightly, automatically reaching up to grab Sasuke's hand. The raven, already expecting this, accepted the offered limb without hesitation.

Behind him, Itachi and Fugaku shared proud looks; happy to see that Sasuke was changing so positively from the rebellious boy he had been before. The little blond was definitely a good influence.

Sasuke led Naruto back to the blond's house, waiting for the five year old to open the door before heading inside. He followed Naruto through the unfamiliar halls until they reached the kitchen. His eyes immediately noticed the large potted plants that stood near the kitchen window, and he realized that their shadows were what he had seen from his house. He mentally berated himself for placing plant-shadows in the same category as people-shadows.

Naruto threw off his jacket, and Sasuke followed his lead. The kitchen was very warm from the heated oven, and Sasuke took in the mess on the counters. Flour, an empty sugar pack, a milk jug and a measuring cup and spoons, a tub of butter...the works. A large mixing bowl was sitting on the table, and Sasuke peered in to see cookie dough in the making.

"Ah! Not yet, Sasuke! I still need to add more sugar!" Naruto yelled, dragging a large footstool towards the counter. Sasuke stepped away from the bowl while Naruto climbed up and tried to open the sugar pack. His tongue poked out between his teeth as he pulled at the packet with his small fingers. He groaned when the packet refused to give and Sasuke smirked, reaching out and grabbing the pack. Naruto pouted, crossing his arms over his chest while Sasuke snickered. The raven held the bag up and easily tugged the paper apart.

Unfortunately, he tugged a little too hard.

Both Naruto and Sasuke let out strangled yelps when the paper tore more than necessary and sugar exploded over them and onto the counter, the floor and even into the bowl of cookie dough. For a moment, they both stared down at the sugar-coated floor before looking up at each other.

"...Oops..." Sasuke said slowly and Naruto's lips stretched into a slow smile before he burst into laughter.

"Ahaha! That was so funny! Hahaha! You're face!" Naruto cackled, pointing his finger straight at Sasuke. The raven chuckled lightly as he put the torn pieces of paper onto the counter and began to sweep up the sugar on the counter. He glanced at the piles in his hands once he was done before turning to Naruto.

"What should I do with it?" he asked, looking around for a dustbin. Naruto stared at it before shrugging and smacking Sasuke's hands from the bottom. The raven yelped when the sugar cascaded from his fingers and into the mixing bowl.

"We can just use it in the cookies I guess!" Naruto said cheerfully while Sasuke swept his hands together. The Uchiha nodded and continued sweeping the counter-sugar into the bowl. He looked down at the floor and grimaced.

"We are not putting that sugar in here," he said firmly and Naruto pulled a face.

"Ew! That would make them hobo-cookies!" he exclaimed. Sasuke stared at him.

"...Hobo-cookies?" he repeated slowly, his lips twitching upwards. Naruto nodded frantically.

"Uh huh! I once saw a hobo in the streets when I was going home with Ms. Hinata, and he was eating off the floor! So if we use stuff from the floor, it makes it hobo-food!" he explained seriously as if Sasuke was a silly child. Sasuke stifled his laughter at the serious expression on the five year olds face and simply nodded.

"Oh, I see then..."

While Sasuke used a dustpan to sweep up the sugar on the floor, Naruto continued to make the cookie dough. Sasuke knelt down, sweeping under the footstool the blond rested on when he felt something smash on his head. He froze when something wet and gooey slid over his hair and down the side of his face. Slowly, he looked up to see Naruto staring at him with wide eyes, his tan hands pressed over his mouth in horror. Slowly, the Uchiha reached up and ran his finger over the cold substance. He stared at his finger for a moment.

"...Is that...egg?" he asked slowly, turning accusing eyes to Naruto. The kid slowly lowered his hands.

"I dropped it by accident," he whispered, blue eyes huge. "...Oops?"

Sasuke stood up, towering over the smaller boy. He reached over to the counter and grabbed an egg from the carton. With quick and precise movements, he crushed it right above Naruto's head and let the yolk and goo stream down onto the boy's head. Naruto sputtered and gaped as his hair was matted down with the gooey substance. Sasuke smirked, tossing the shell pieces into the trash before he reached over and rubbed his messy hand over Naruto's face, making the boy yelp and push his hand away.

"Hey!"

"Hn. Now we're even," Sasuke said smugly. Naruto growled and slammed his hand onto Sasuke's chest. A large flour print was left behind on Sasuke's black T-shirt and the Uchiha stared at it in horror.

"This was my favourite shirt!" he said angrily and Naruto giggled.

"Serves you right!" he jeered, sticking his tongue out. Sasuke huffed and dipped his hand into the flour packet. Naruto yelped and tried to run away, but Sasuke was too fast. He caught the blond around the middle and picked him up, running his hand down Naruto's face and stomach and leaving a great white streak.

"Gah!" Naruto cried, "No fair!" he yipped, and Sasuke smirked evilly.

"No..._This_ is unfair!" he said and began to tickle the blond while holding him in the air. Naruto shrieked out a laugh, wiggling and struggling in his grip. Sasuke was surprised at how light Naruto seemed, and in the back of his mind he placed it under the list of potential worries for the kid, but for now he enjoyed this game. It had been so long since he actually did something fun like this. He hardly ever had fun anymore if he was honest with himself. Suigetsu may have been his friend, but they never just did something fun. If anything, Suigetsu didn't allow him to simply be himself. He always had to act the badass around him lest he lose his image and his reputation.

But now here, with this little boy from next door, Sasuke was actually having fun. He was smiling, and laughing, and doing something that wasn't hurting anyone at all. It was exhilarating. For so long he had been full of anger and resentment to the world for what it had put him through. Yet here he was able to let go of it all and just...smile.

"Stop! Stop stop!" Naruto was gasping, his face bright as he continued to chuckle and giggle and struggle. Sasuke snickered as he put the boy down and Naruto squirmed away from his grip, still caught in a fit of giggles.

"W-we have to make the cookies!" Naruto insisted as he caught his breath. Sasuke looked over at the cookie dough and blinked.

"Are you sure that's even edible?" he asked, peering into the mess. Naruto tilted his head.

"What's 'ed-dee-bal'?" he asked. Sasuke smiled, shaking his head.

"It means able to be eaten," he explained and Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Yeah it's fine! Come on, you can help me cut out the shapes!" the blond cheered, jogging up to a drawer and rummaging inside until he produced several cookie cutters.

Sasuke nodded, sending a glance out the window at his own house. Through the window he could see both his father and Itachi sitting in the kitchen. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, sipping coffee.

"Here! You can cut out the stars!" Naruto's voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned back to the vibrant blond.

"Hn. I bet I can cut more stars than you."

"Ah! Nu uh! I'll cut way more than you!"

* * *

><p>"Remind me again, why are we here?" Suigetsu drawled, flicking some dirt off his pants. Sasuke hushed him, narrowing his eyes as he stared through the bushes that were located just outside the fenced off area of Konoha Hills Kindergarten. It was the kids break time, or whatever it was young kids had. He could see Naruto playing in the sandbox along with a little boy with brown hair and red face paint on his cheeks. They were building what looked like a large cave, tunnelling their hands under the sand and laughing when their fingers made contact. Sasuke had to hide his smile when Naruto let out a cheer when he pulled his hand back, gripping a shining stone that they had buried under the sand earlier when they first came out for break.<p>

Yes. Sasuke had been standing in the bushes for almost an hour just watching. Suigetsu had tagged along with him, since they both had nothing better to do today and it was the holidays.

"Seriously Sasuke, I'm starting to get worried for the kids over there," Suigetsu joked and chuckled when Sasuke sent him a withering look. The Uchiha turned back to observe the kids through the leaves and let out a hiss.

"Aha! There he is!" he growled, motioning for Suigetsu to look. The pale-haired teen blinked and edged forwards, placing his face next to Sasuke's to peer through.

"...What am I looking at?" he asked.

Sasuke pointed towards a young boy ambling proudly towards Naruto and his friend. "That little shit right there. Watch what he does," he ordered.

The boy waltzed up to Naruto and roughly shoved his head forwards. Naruto squawked at the movement and whipped his head around, raising his hand to block out the sun.

"What do you want, Sora?" Naruto said angrily, rubbing his hair. The boy called Sora sneered.

"Give me that stone!" he ordered, holding out his chubby hand. Naruto looked at the stone and then at his friend. His blue eyes narrowed in anger and he gripped the little stone tighter.

"No! This is our stone!" he insisted. Sora growled and grabbed for it, his hand hitting against Naruto's shoulder when the blond moved his hand out of the way.

"Gimme it!" Sora roared and he started to hit Naruto over the head with his small fists, making the blond yelp.

"Stop it! That hurts!"

Naruto's friend was tugging on Sora's shirt, trying to pull him off of Naruto who was still clutching the stone to his heart.

"Sora! Let Naru go!" the boy yelled. Sora just shoved the little brunet off and continued his assault on Naruto. The blond was curled in a ball, holding the stone to his chest and wincing whenever Sora's fists made contact with his skin.

"Shit, that kid is a beast!" Suigetsu whispered, eyes watching the way Sora never relented his attack. "That little blond is strong for not crying already!"

Sasuke growled in his throat. "That little _punk_ keeps bullying Naruto every day!" he said and Suigetsu sent him a confused look.

"Who's Naruto?"

"The blond!"

"Oh! Right, your neighbour! Now I remember! Shit, so the kid has bully problems?" Suigetsu asked, turning to watch as finally the brunet ran off to get a teacher. They saw the bully Sora step back when the door opened, and Sasuke snarled viciously when he pointed at Naruto and shouted "He stole my stone, Ms. Hinata! He won't give it back!"

The Uchiha was fully prepared to jump out of the bushes and catch the little bastard out on his lie, but he realized that it would probably look incredibly bad if he actually did that. For starters, they would want to know how he had known Sora was telling a lie, and after that they would demand to know just why he was spying on the kids in the bushes.

Yes, he knew it would not look good if he came to the rescue.

Luckily, it seemed Hinata wasn't dumb enough to fall for Sora's lies as she gave him a scolding look.

"Sora-kun, you are always attacking N-Naruto-kun! This is t-the last time I'm telling you this! L-leave Naruto-kun alone! If I c-catch you being n-nasty again, I'm going t-to call your mother!" she warned, her hands on her hips. Sora just sneered and stalked away.

"Whatever!"

Suigetsu let out a whistle. "That little kid is almost as bad as I am!" he said, smirking when Sasuke elbowed him in the side to be quiet. "So, what are we doing exactly?" he asked again.

"Hn. I want to teach that little punk to stop messing with Naruto," Sasuke replied calmly. Suigetsu made a choking noise.

"Wait...you want to scare the brat enough for him to leave your neighbouring brat alone?" the pale-haired teen repeated, obviously disbelieving that those were the right words. "...Are you high?"

Sasuke sent him a deadly look. "You can go home if you want, I don't need you here," he said quietly. Suigetsu looked indignant but shrugged.

"Fine, fine! Whatever man. We'll sort out this bully and then can we go to the liquor store and get some damn beer?"

"Hn."

"That's my man!"

Sasuke nodded absently, continuing his observations. It had been little over two weeks since he took care of Naruto that night. Since then, he was often hanging around the little blond and the Uzumaki adults came to a point where they would ask him to babysit instead of the other sitter 'Sakura', whoever that was. Naruto and he got along splendidly, if you ignored the occasionally argument they got into which was usually all Sasuke's fault since he couldn't resist baiting the smaller boy.

Sasuke's attitude had mellowed out drastically, and it was starting to affect him in other areas and not just home. It was obvious that both Fugaku and Itachi were ecstatic about it in their own weird Uchiha way. The amount of arguments and fights he had gotten into with his family was almost zero now and even Sasuke had to admit to himself that the change was nice.

As for school, he had been improving both his performance and his behaviour. While he was still a bit disruptive on occasion, he actually finished his homework and let the teachers teach without ruining their day entirely. While the teachers were glad, the students around him were starting to get nosey. He'd had many a person asking him what was up and he'd answered them all with his old fierce glare and snarl of 'Piss off' but even then...it seemed to lack the same amount of intense hatred as before and the students knew this. Girls were approaching him more often too but he still denied them all.

Surprisingly Suigetsu had kept his questions to a minimum; never quite talking about his sudden change but never harping on about the same things he used to. It was almost like the pale teen understood that while Sasuke was changing, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Sasuke was pleased to know that at least one person he was relatively close to wasn't about to start spreading rumours because he'd softened up.

They hung around the day care, going to a small cafe for some coffee and a sandwich when they got hungry, until finally the school was out.

The two teens were in the bushes from before, watching. Sasuke had been there before-he wasn't a stalker dammit-and knew that Sora only lived a block away, and so he was able to walk home without too much risk.

They followed the small boy until he was only down the street from his house before they overtook him easily and stood in front of him, arms crossed.

"Hey, kid," Sasuke started; his voice blank.

The little boy looked up at him with arrogant eyes. "What do you want, old man?"

Suigetsu snorted. "We're only sixteen, we're not old!" he said and the kid stuck his tongue out. Quick as a flash, Suigetsu was kneeling in front of him, his finger and thumb pinching the kid's tongue. Wide brown eyes stared at him as the kid registered what had just happened. "I'd watch that tongue if I were you, brat. You never know when someone will come along and cut it off," Suigetsu murmured softly, grinning and showing off his sharpened teeth.

Sasuke smirked when the kid pulled away with a squeal. "Listen here, brat, I'm only going to say this once," he said and the kid stared up at him. Sasuke fixed him with a cold glare. "If I ever catch wind of you bullying Naruto Uzumaki again, I'll hunt you down and make sure you are never able to speak again," he said and Sora paled. Suigetsu straightened up.

"And don't think we won't hear about it. We have spies all around watching you," he said and winked.

Sora looked absolutely terrified and he nodded hurriedly. "I swear I won't! I swear!"

Sasuke nodded stiffly. "Now get lost, brat," he growled and the kid was sprinting away before they could blink.

Suigetsu snickered, flexing his fingers. "Scaring little kids...somehow I can see it under the 'Sasuke in a Nutshell' category," he joked and Sasuke smirked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hn."

"So, can we go get beer now?" Suigetsu asked hopefully and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, let's go."

"Sweet!"

* * *

><p>"-Now you agree to the terms and conditions, right?" Fugaku asked as he stood in front of Sasuke's bedroom door with his hands folded across his chest.<p>

Sasuke sighed and nodded. "Yes, Father, I agree to the terms and conditions," he mumbled. It had taken ages but finally it seemed his father was willing to give his door handle back to him. Fugaku had only agreed under the conditions that Sasuke was not to lock it unless he was getting dressed or masturbating-a rather disturbing sentence coming from his father- and that if he started to misbehave again, his lock would be taken away.

Fugaku looked down at him carefully before nodding and turning around, moving to put the handle back in place.

"Oh yeah, I'm going to be babysitting Naruto tonight until about twelve," Sasuke said, remembering why he had initially searched for his father. Fugaku nodded as he fitted the last screw into place, wiping his hands and turning a soft smile to his son.

"Okay then. What do you two plan to do?" he asked as they walked down the stairs. Although he didn't voice it, he was overjoyed that he could actually talk to Sasuke without it ending in a vicious argument that left him feeling like a useless parent that was failing their child.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll watch a movie or something. He's been talking about wanting to see that Rio or whatever it was," Sasuke said dismissively, waving his hand. "I went and bought it the other day," he added quietly as if he wasn't sure he wanted anyone to hear.

Fugaku heard the whisper and grinned to himself. Sasuke had, whether consciously or not, become completely smitten with the little boy. He was always doting on him and spoiling him in his own, strange way. While he himself hadn't had much interaction with the boy, he had seen the way Sasuke would come home with a strange item that was definitely from a child's store. And not too long after, Itachi would come sprinting into his office and yapping on about how Naruto was playing with a brand new toy in the back garden that Sasuke had apparently given him.

Sometimes Fugaku wondered if Itachi had matured past the age of ten. While he looked his age, his actions often said otherwise.

"Sasuke! Mrs. Uzumaki is here with Naruto!" Itachi suddenly called and both the Uchiha's on the stairs paused. Itachi sounded slightly...put out.

They walked over to the entrance to see Naruto's mother Kushina, a lovely woman with long red hair and a rounded face. She gave a tight smile as she saw Sasuke.

"Hello, Sasuke, I hope you're well?" she asked politely and Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, thank you. And yourself?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said, glancing down at Naruto. Sasuke did the same, surprised to see that the little boy looked right depressed. He was holding his mother's hand loosely, his eyes downcast while he scraped his foot against the porch. "Yes, the reason I'm here..." she began.

Sasuke bent down, not really listening to her. "Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked softly. Naruto glanced up at him before looking away.

"Mom wants me to go to Sakura's house for the night," he mumbled unhappily. "But I don't want to go to Sakura's."

Sasuke looked up at Kushina when she cleared her throat.

"Yes, you see Minato and I are going to be gone the whole night on a short business trip. I know that you've been babysitting him for a while now but, and please don't take offence, we don't really know you all that well. Sakura has been our babysitter for a year now, and so we just feel she's more appropriate to take care of Naruto for an entire night. But he's putting up a big fuss over it," she added, turning to look at her son. Naruto avoided her eyes, his own fixed on the floor while he bit his lip.

Sasuke straightened up. "Mrs. Uzumaki, you can trust me! I'll take great care of Naruto...We will take great care of him!" he said, stepping aside to pull his brother and father forward. Both of them blinked at his actions but Fugaku quickly straightened, offering his hand.

"Mrs. Uzumaki, it's a pleasure. My name is Fugaku," he introduced and Kushina smiled, taking his hand.

"Kushina Uzumaki. The pleasure is mine. I understand that your son is surely trustworthy but...well, I'm just not sure if this is a good idea," she continued, combing a hand through her hair. She looked at Itachi and then back at Sasuke. "He's my son, so I'm nervous about leaving him with anyone that I don't know on a close personal level... Babysitting for a few hours is one thing but a whole night is different. I'm just...hesitant," she admitted and her hand tightened around Naruto's. The little boy looked ready to cry, his cheeks red. Sasuke stared at him, and finally he realized why Naruto was especially upset. He didn't want to go to Sakura's, but at the same time he didn't like upsetting his mother. This was probably one of the few occasions that she fully interacted with him or over him and undoubtedly he didn't want to make her unhappy during that time.

"Mrs. Uzumaki," he said, turning to her, "what if Sakura came over to your house to stay the night, and babysat alongside me? That way, Naruto can stay home, he gets to see me like he wants, and you have someone you trust watching him through the night. I can come home to sleep if you'd prefer that, or I can sleep on your couch, whichever is fine," he suggested, looking at her earnestly.

Itachi and Fugaku shared looks behind his back, the older Uchiha barely containing his smile. Naruto was looking up at his mother, the hope on his face so bright that his eyes were like lanterns in a dark cave.

Kushina hummed in thought, looking down at her son and seeing his expression. After a moment she smiled brightly and nodded. "That would be fine. I'm sure Sakura won't mind either, she rather enjoys coming over to our place and staying the night. Something about our guest bed being that comfortable or something. And I'll let Sakura decide whether or not you can stay over, since she has a rather good judge of character. If she agrees, I know I would," the woman said and Sasuke caught the underlining meaning.

'_If I can prove to this Sakura person that I'm a trustworthy person, then she'll have no reason to ever doubt me again._'

Naruto was practically vibrating in his happiness, his eyes shining as he hugged his mother's legs tightly. "Thank you mommy!" he cried. Kushina smiled down at him, petting his head.

"Well, you'd better just grab some comfy clothes just in case you aren't thrown back into our house tonight, little brother," Itachi drawled with a smirk. He dodged the swing Sasuke took at him, chuckling and Fugaku shook his head.

"Teenagers," he mumbled and Kushina laughed.

Sasuke was soon standing on the porch of the Uzumaki household, watching as they climbed into their car. Kushina poked her head out the window.

"Sakura should arrive in a few minutes! Have fun Naruto!" she said, waving to her little boy while Minato started to reverse. Naruto waved enthusiastically, smiling wide.

"I will! Do your best at work!" he called and received Minato's thumb up in response while Kushina blew him a kiss.

The car drove off, Naruto waving until it was entirely out of sight before he looked up to Sasuke, grabbing his hand. "Hey Sasuke, I got a new game the other day! Wanna play?" he asked, following as Sasuke led them inside.

"Hn. As long as you promise not to cry when you lose," he said, laughing when Naruto yanked his hand away and stomped ahead.

"I won't lose!"

The game turned out to be a Ratchet and Crank game and Sasuke was the one who helped Naruto get past most of the difficult bits. Naruto did rather well most of the time, impressing Sasuke with how he managed to figure out some of the puzzling objectives on his own.

About twenty minutes into the first game, there was a knock on the door.

"That must be Sakura," Sasuke mumbled. He wasn't really looking forward to meeting the girl, simply because he didn't like most girls in general. It was mainly bad experience since the only girls he really knew were the ones that continuously clung to him and asked him out as if he had shown interest.

He left Naruto to play as he walked to the front door, sighing and turning the handle. The wooden barrier opened slowly and Sasuke immediately wanted to slam it shut when he caught sight of all the pink.

"Oh, you must be Sasuke," the girl said and Sasuke frowned at the way his name rolled off her tongue. It was somewhere between a purr and a drawl of disdain. He had to admit he was impressed she'd pulled that off, but he didn't like her. "I'm Sakura, Naruto's _real_ babysitter," she said as she pushed past him.

Sasuke stood at the doorway for a moment, gritting his teeth tightly. It took way to much effort not to slam the door closed but he managed. He walked back into the living room, coming to a stop once again when he saw Sakura sitting lazily on the couch. She was a slim girl with a wide waist and a rather flat chest. The most notable feature on her was her dyed pink hair, which went with the bright pink shirt she wore and the pink skirt. Her green eyes were focused on Sasuke, but his own eyes were focused on her feet. She had put them on top of Naruto's head like he was a footstool.

Frowning at that, he walked over and nudged her feet off. She raised an eyebrow at him when he chose to sit down next to Naruto on the floor rather than on the couch next to her.

"So, Sasuke, what can you tell me about yourself?" she asked, crossing her legs and resting her head on her hand. Sasuke glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes staring at her blankly. He did not like this girl at all.

"Nothing other than that I'm a perfectly capable babysitter who lives right next door," he said monotonously before turning back to the screen and watching as Naruto fought an enemy. "Try pushing him off the edge," he suggested and the blond poked his tongue out in concentration as he attempted the new strategy. Sasuke could feel Sakura's gaze on his head and rolled his eyes, turning back to her. "Is there something you want to say to me?" he asked, the comment coming out a lot shorter than he had meant. Sakura's green eyes narrowed at his tone.

"No. There's nothing I can think of to say to someone like you," she sneered, looking away from him as though he were just a smudge on the wall. "Naruto, go fetch me a drink," she continued with a yawn.

Naruto jumped, his fingers slipping on the controller and he almost got killed in the game. Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder, mumbling for him to carry on before he turned cold eyes to the girl behind him.

"You've got two legs, and I'm sure _someone like you_ at least has enough intelligence to walk to the kitchen a fetch a glass of water," he said icily, using her earlier phrase. Sakura sent him a glare before she smirked coldly.

"So, apparently I get to decide whether or not you stay the night. And I also get to decide whether or not you're a good person or not," she said and Sasuke bristled, his hands clenching.

'_There is no way in hell I'm going to be able to suck up to this bitch!_' he though angrily. He looked around the room quickly. _'I might be able to kill her before Naruto realizes what happened. Maybe I can strangle her with the phone? Oh no wait, it's a cordless phone. Dammit,_' he returned his glare to Sakura, who was smirking at him in cold amusement.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You can still fetch your own drink," he said calmly before turning back to the screen. "And maybe choke on your own arrogance while you're at it," he muttered under his breath. Naruto looked at him weirdly, having only heard a word or two of that little sentence. Sasuke caught his eye and just shook his head, smiling slightly. Naruto grinned in response only to let out a disappointed cry when he was killed and a large game over appeared on the screen. Sasuke snorted loudly.

"Remember, you promised you wouldn't cry if you lost," he said teasingly and Naruto crossed his arms, pouting.

"I'll win next time!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke's jaw was clenched so tightly he was almost afraid that his teeth were going to crack. He was glaring holes into the back of Sakura's head, the girl just sitting on a chair and chatting to her friend over the phone.<p>

The afternoon had been going drastically slow and only minutes ago Sakura had nudged Naruto with her shoe and said 'What are you making for dinner? I'm hungry.'

Naruto had scampered off to the kitchen to start on a meal before Sasuke could argue and that left him where he was, trying to make Sakura's head explode with his eyes alone. How on earth could the Uzumaki's trust this girl with Naruto? She didn't do anything! So far she'd only sat her ass on their couch, drank their juice and now she was running up their phone bill. Not once had she tried to interact with Naruto other than to tell him to move out the way of the T.V, fetch a drink or massage her damn smelly feet.

Sasuke was itching to throttle the girl. She wasn't looking after Naruto at all, she was just...there. Like some kind of fat slug that was oozing her disgusting goo all over their nice furniture.

'_Maybe I can set fire to the couch and she won't notice until it's too late?' _he wondered, his eyebrows perking higher in contemplation. Then he shook his head. '_No, the fire could get out of control. And then we'd lose the couch._'

Deciding that there was no way he could stand by Sakura without causing her some form of harm; he went into the kitchen to stop Naruto from making food and make it himself. The kid shouldn't have to make food; that was the babysitter's job!

He walked into the kitchen to see Naruto looking into the freezer, searching for something that he could cook them all for dinner. Sasuke scowled at how obedient he was towards the pink-haired menace and walked over, closing the freezer right under the blond's nose.

"Eh? Sasuke! I was looking!" Naruto said indignantly, but Sasuke just ruffled his hair to shut him up as he walked over to the phone.

"We're having pizza tonight," he said calmly, dialling a number and placing the phone to his ear, listening to the dull ringing. He smirked as he heard Naruto let out an excited cheer, pumping his small fists into the air before he rushed into the living room to inform Sakura.

That thought gave him an idea and his smirk turned evil.

"_Pizza Express, what can I do for you?"_

"I'd like to order a large pepperoni and pineapple pizza, and a small tomato and cheese pizza," Sasuke drawled, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"_Delivery or pick up?_"

"Delivery please," he said politely, waiting as the person rang it up.

"_And who will be paying?_"

"Sakura Haruno," Sasuke replied immediately, his lips stretching into a wicked grin as the person told him the bill. "How long will that take?"

"_At maximum ten minutes!_" the voice chirped proudly and Sasuke nodded happily.

"Great. Thanks!" he said, hanging up after hearing their cheerful goodbye. Whistling a happy tune to himself he walked back into the living room with his hands in his pockets. "By the way Sakura, the bill is about ten bucks. Make sure you give the guy a tip," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura fumed where she sat, having finally gotten off the phone. She crossed her arms, glaring at him as Sasuke made himself comfortable on the floor next to Naruto once again. They were going to play a game of Snap, and he was ready to compete with the blond.

"...So I was talking to my friend Ino," Sakura piped up suddenly and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"-Because obviously I care about what you and your friends gossip about," he clipped sarcastically. He could feel her narrow her eyes, but it was the cold smirk on her face that set him on edge.

"You should, actually. Ino had quite the story to tell when I told her that one Sasuke Uchiha was babysitting...So is it true that you were part of a gang?" she asked in a cheerful voice and Sasuke's hackles were raised instantly. He snapped his head around, glaring daggers at her. "And is it also true that you sent one of your fellow classmates to the hospital and he had to stay in the ICU for four whole nights? Really, someone who joins gangs and beats up people is no babysitter for such a sweet little boy," Sakura continued, sliding off the couch and wrapping her arms around Naruto.

The blond looked uncomfortable, sensing the growing tension and dark aura in the room. He couldn't understand what Sakura was saying, but he remembered hearing his dad talk about gangs. They were very bad, apparently.

"That was in the past!" Sasuke said darkly, his tone dripping with the promise of pain if Sakura continued to broach the subject.

"Oh? Is it really? I couldn't help but notice the scars you had on your lip to indicate a closed piercing. And then there's your dark and intimidating outfit! Really, young children would run away screaming if you came near them!" Sakura sneered.

Sasuke scowled before it morphed into a fond smirk. "Naruto didn't. In fact he approached me several times," he said smugly as Sakura scowled.

"I don't think you'll be spending the night here, Uchiha," she snapped.

"No!"

Both teens sprung back in surprise when Naruto stood up, staring at Sakura.

"I want Sasuke to stay here! I want him to sleep over!" he protested loudly, his arms flung out as if protecting Sasuke.

Sakura scowled. "Naruto, he's hardly the type of person you should be playing with! He's a delinquent, probably an addict and he's probably a slut too!" she said darkly, glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke stood up, towering over her. His fists were clenched and his face was a sickly pale out of pure fury. He wanted to hit her so badly his muscles ached with the desire. He had never hit a girl before, but he couldn't think of Sakura as a girl. She was a demon in his eyes, a foul, loathsome creature that he needed to beat until it was no longer any recognizable shape. Hatred for her was burning his blood like a raging inferno and there was a hissing in his ears.

"Shut up, you stupid cow! I might not be some stuck-up golden boy, but I'm not a delinquent!" he spat. He wasn't a delinquent, dammit! He had changed. He didn't do any of the things she said. He admitted to smoking, but never had he done drugs. He had drawn the line. And he had never, ever, whored around. He was still a virgin for crying out loud! Just because he didn't go declaring it to the world didn't mean he wasn't!

Sakura got to her feet too, glaring at him. "Oh please, as if I'm going to believe the likes of you!" she sneered, hands on her hip. "Get out right now! You shouldn't even be alive; it's delinquents like you that make today's society so bad!" When Sasuke took a threatening step forward, Sakura smirked. "Get out or I'll tell Naruto's parents about how you smoke around him, and all about your reputation! Oh and let's not forget those paedophile charges too!" she chirped.

Sasuke froze. Paedophile charges? That was bullshit. He'd never, ever, in his life, done anything to a kid. He didn't even like kids with Naruto being an exception. So what was Sakura talking—

His eyes widened. "You'd _lie_ through your teeth just to win?" he growled and Sakura smirked.

"They'll believe me long before they ever believe you!" she said, triumph burning in her eyes. She pointed a manicured finger to the door. "Now get out! Right now!"

Sasuke felt his entire body trembling. The rage burning inside of him was so fierce he wondered if he could contain it. Looking at Sakura's smug face, he wanted nothing more than to grab the nearest blunt object and smash her head in. Thinking about it, all that would spill out would be acidic ooze and disgusting lumps of black coal, as that seemed to be what this person was made of.

Sakura's hand reached towards the phone and Sasuke took an immediate step back. He couldn't let her make that call. Despite it being a lie, he knew that things looked bad for him. He did have a terrible reputation, and that was all Naruto's parent's needed to know to never let him near their son again.

He looked down at Naruto, seeing the child's pleading face. He didn't want Sasuke to go, but the raven knew if he didn't, they would never get to spend time together again.

With a heavy growl of defeat, Sasuke started to back away. "Alright, fine, you whore," he hissed so that only Sakura would hear. She scowled. "Make sure he brushes his teeth before bed," Sasuke added and Sakura gave him a haughty glare.

"Get out, Uchiha," she snapped waving her hand.

"NO!"

Naruto's yell made the two of them jump, and Sakura let out a yelp when the small blond roughly shoved her, making her fall backwards.

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing—"

"I'll tell my Mom and Dad!" Naruto cut in, angry eyes staring at Sakura. The girl blinked.

"Tell them what?" she asked angrily, sitting up and rubbing her elbows. "That I made him leave? They won't argue with me—"

"I'll tell them about the movies you took and never gave back!" Naruto said loudly and Sakura froze. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked down at Naruto, standing so strong in front of him.

"Naru—" Sakura started, but the blond cut her off again.

"And I'll tell them that you never cook! And that you broke Mom's vase! And that you took Dad's car out that night and left me alone!"

Sasuke's eyes darkened, narrowing so much that they were mere slits while the corners wrinkled in pure rage.

"You..." No words could be found to describe what Sakura was to him. She was staring at Naruto in panic and Sasuke took a step forward. "You left him all _alone_?" Sasuke growled. "And you...you have the _audacity_...to say that I'm no good as a babysitter?" his voice was getting louder.

Sakura stumbled to her feet. "Now wait a moment Naruto! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that—"

"And I'll tell them you hit me!" Naruto said suddenly and the room dropped ten degrees in temperature. Sasuke was as tightly wound as a string, his frame shivering with rage and the effort to hold himself back. The dark aura around him was suffocating and now, Sakura looked properly concerned as she stared at him.

"He's lying! I never laid a hand on him!" she shrieked. Naruto titled his head up.

"My Mom will believe me if I tell her!" he said simply, but his eyes were wide and glaring at Sakura. "Sasuke stays!"

Sakura stared at him and then at Sasuke. Her face was stained red in anger before she let out an aggravated shriek. Naruto jumped back at the noise, surprised and a bit frightened at how infuriated Sakura looked. Sasuke stepped up, and Naruto hid behind his legs slightly, peering out at Sakura as she stomped around, gathering her things.

"Fine! Fine, you little runt! I'm leaving! And don't ever expect me to come here again! God, I hate children like you! You're all a bunch of little, conniving monsters! I hate you all!" she screeched, whirling around and jabbing a finger at Naruto.

In the instant that Naruto whimpered sadly, Sasuke's hand shot out and his fingers closed around Sakura's extended finger, pulling it back. She gasped in pain, stepping forward to try and relieve the pressure while Sasuke growled menacingly.

"Get out," he spat. "And if I ever see you near Naruto again...You'll get to know just what my old classmate experienced before he got to ICU."

Sakura yanked her hand away as soon as it was free and turned, rushing out of the room. The two heard the front door slamming violently and Naruto tightened his grip on Sasuke's jeans, looking towards the door with wide eyes.

Sasuke sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Sakura was gone now and he couldn't afford to let himself get even more worked up. If he snapped, he would scare Naruto and he didn't want to do that. Ever.

"Sasuke?"

Opening his eyes, he looked down at Naruto, seeing the sad look on his face. Guilty, Sasuke knelt down.

"I'm sorry for making you fight with Sakura," he said. Naruto looked at the floor, giving a slight shrug.

"All those things were true," he mumbled, missing the way Sasuke tensed. "She wasn't a very good babysitter...And she was mean sometimes."

"Did..." Sasuke swallowed back the growl in his voice. "Did she...really hit you?" he asked slowly, feeling the anger bubbling up again. It would only take a phone call. He could call Suigetsu, or his old buddy Juugo and tell them about Sakura. She would receive threats and warnings within minutes, and Sasuke knew he could effectively make her life miserable without having to do more than make a few calls and answer a few texts.

Naruto looked up. "Oh, no, not that! Everything else, but not that!" he amended and Sasuke stopped fantasising of Sakura waking up to find dead rats on her pillow. "I only said that because she was gonna lie too, and so I was—"

"Using her own threat against her," Sasuke finished, grinning slightly. "You sly little critter," he said, and reached out, pinching Naruto's nose. The blond pulled away, batting his hand and tweaking his nose like a rabbit.

Sasuke found it adorable.

The doorbell rang, announcing that their pizza had arrived. Sasuke sighed, knowing he'd have to pay, but with Naruto's excited chatter that sounded more like a mantra of 'Pizza', he thought the ten bucks was worth it. They watched Rio-much to Naruto's pure delight-while they ate their pizza.

After dinner, Sasuke informed the child it was time to get ready for bed. He ran a bath for Naruto and washed his hair for him, despite Naruto's protests and embarrassment. But Sasuke was concerned that, with Naruto being so clumsy, he would get shampoo in his eyes. When Naruto climbed out of the bath, Sasuke was ready with a towel, but the blond seemed to have a bit of a nudist streak. He ran around the entire house, avoiding the frustrated raven and the deadly towel. Sasuke had finally managed to corner him and made sure to take extra long to rub him down and get him dry before telling Naruto to get some clothes on. Naruto waved, ready to go change into his pyjamas. Before he could escape, however, Sasuke caught him by the hem of the fluffy towel he had draped over his body.

"Have you brushed your teeth?" he asked, peering down into wide, guilty blue eyes.

"...Noooo," Naruto said, drawing out the word and trying to look cute and innocent.

He was successful, but Sasuke had the power of the force.

"Go brush your teeth, you llama!"

"Hey! I'm not a ll-laa-ma! I don't even know what that is!"

* * *

><p><strong>Q~Q Little kid Naruto...such a sweetie, bless him. I wish I could cuddle him!<strong>

**Since the second half is already done, I'll post it tomorrow in the afternoon once I'm finished with my schoolwork. As for now, I hope you're enjoying it and please leave a review! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second part! ^_^ Still very fluffy, but every fluff needs its darker counterparts...no triumph without struggle...no happy ending without some challenge... -_- there's some drama here, okay? **

**Warnings: still some language...still lots of fluff...beware of cavaties and gum infections from the sweetness...good Lord...**

**Disclaimer:** **I'm claiming this Naruto! HE'S MINE! MINE I TELL YOU! *Kishimoto comes in and drags Naruto away, showing ownership papers* NOOO! (ToT) JUST FOR AN HOUR? PLEASE! *grasps at his feet while begging***

* * *

><p>It was five weeks after the Sakura-event that things took a new turn once more…<p>

Sasuke stared at the small boy before him, eyes wide. Defiant and angry blue eyes stared right back at him, and the small tan palm was still extended towards him. Sasuke didn't even move, his mouth slightly open in a stunned gape. Naruto was starting to get impatient.

"Come on!" the little blond snapped, wiggling his fingers. "Give 'em here!"

Over on the other couch, Itachi and Fugaku exchanged curious looks. They had all been sitting peacefully, watching some TV. Naruto was staying with them for the day while his parents were at work and Sasuke had school holidays now that his exams were done. The day care that Naruto usually went to was closed for the day. Things had been fine, but Naruto had seemed a bit odd. He was fidgety and kept glancing over at Sasuke. Finally, the Uchiha got tired of Naruto's poorly disguised looks, so he'd asked what was wrong.

Naruto had responded by jumping off the couch, glaring at him and holding out his hand, demanding that Sasuke 'Give them to him'.

Needless to say that Sasuke was completely confused.

"Uh...Naruto? What are you talking about?" he asked, looking towards his father and brother. The two of them looked at him, then Naruto, and then each other before shrugging simultaneously. Sasuke scowled.

'_Fat lot of help they are,_' he thought, shaking his head.

"Sasuke! Give them to me! Right now!" Naruto snapped, stomping his foot. Sasuke's lips twitched upwards.

"Naruto, I don't know what you want me to give to you!" he said, raising his hands in a gesture of 'I don't know'. Naruto huffed, thrusting his hand out again.

"Give me those stick thingies you burn and put in your mouth, that are really bad for you!" he said, trying to clarify.

Sasuke was just as confused as before. Naruto's 'clarification' made no sense to him.

"Sasuke!" Itachi suddenly said, nearly launching out of his seat. Sasuke turned to his brother, surprised to see the sudden anger in Itachi's eyes.

"What?" he asked, feeling defensive. Fugaku was also looking at Itachi curiously.

The older sibling stood up, striding over and pinning Sasuke with a nasty glare.

"Have you been smoking_?_!" Itachi asked viciously. Fugaku's spine snapped up straight, his eyes boring into Sasuke's skull since the youngest Uchiha refused to meet anyone's gaze. Itachi growled, reaching out and clasping Sasuke's shoulders tightly. "Sasuke! Answer me!"

Sasuke shoved his hand away. "Yes, alright! I've been smoking! So what?" he snapped. "It's nobody's business whether I do or not!" he added, sending a look to Naruto. The blond looked upset for a moment before he shook his head violently.

"No! Sasuke, those aren't good! You mustn't have them!" Naruto yelled and without any more prompting, he launched himself at Sasuke. The raven was unprepared for his attack and so the both of them went sprawling to the floor. Sasuke groaned, having hit his head hard. His eyes snapped open when he felt Naruto's hand sink into his pocket and he made a futile attempt to grab the speedy blond before he could escape with the packet of cigarettes he'd stolen. Naruto jumped away, rushing into the kitchen with Sasuke and Itachi hot on his tail. They saw Naruto standing by the trash compactor and Sasuke freaked.

"No! Don't you dare, you damn brat!" he roared, leaping forward. He was stopped when Itachi wrapped his arms around his waist, halting his movement. "Itachi, get the fuck off of me!"

Itachi grunted as Sasuke struggled in his grip, and Sasuke glared at Naruto who was standing by the compactor, looking hesitant and hurt.

"Don't you dare throw those there!" Sasuke yelled angrily. Naruto shook slightly, but pulled a determined frown.

"Mom told me these were very bad! She said that people _die_ from these! I don't want Sasuke to die!" and with that declaration, Naruto tossed the packet into the compactor. The sound of automatic grinding reached their ears and for a moment, Sasuke froze.

Then he panicked.

Smoking had been his crutch for so long now. He had started it back when he was in the gang, when all the trouble had truly begun. It had changed from being something he did to be cool into something he did to stay sane. Nothing relaxed him like the burn of smoke in his throat or the taste of tobacco on his tongue. Logically he could've gone and bought more, but he always had at least three on his person when he went to do so. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd ever not had a single cigarette on his being.

And the thought terrified him. Somehow, just knowing that they were there, that he could smoke them at any time he wished, was like a comfort. Now he knew they were gone, and he also knew that getting more wouldn't be easy with Itachi and his father breathing down his neck.

And the only reason they knew at all was because of Naruto.

It was Naruto's fault.

"You fucking brat! Why the fuck did you do that_?_! Are you trying to piss me off, you little shit!_?_" Sasuke shrieked, anger exploding inside of him. It was an old anger. One he hadn't felt in a long time, since he met Naruto. But it had been lingering beneath the surface. Ever since his encounter with Sakura, it had been closer than ever, but now it was breaking free. There had been some kind of tether on his addiction to cigarettes that he wasn't even aware of. And now that it was broken, the horse was running free.

"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled, looking torn between angry and appalled. Naruto stood by the counter, frozen in place with eyes the size of small dinner plates. The blue jewels looked watery and Itachi could see the faint tremble to his plump lower lip.

'_Oh no, please don't cry Naruto! Don't cry!_ _He doesn't really mean it!_' Itachi thought frantically. His hopes were too high, however. Naruto was only five years old, after all.

The little blond sniffed, clenching his fists tightly while his shoulders trembled. The first fat tear hung precariously at the corner of his eye before it dripped down his cheek.

Itachi felt Sasuke's entire body seize up, undoubtedly his senses returning to him at the sight of Naruto starting to cry.

Both brothers watched in horror as more fat tears rolled down Naruto's marked cheeks. He raised his small fists to his eyes, rubbing frantically but it only made the tears come faster. His sniffles were escalating into sobs until finally he screamed.

"STUPID UGLY SASUKE!" he shrieked and started to bawl loudly, tears streaming down his cheeks and nose running.

Itachi winced, feeling guilty and sorry that Naruto had gotten so upset. He had come to know the blond, somewhat, since Sasuke started hanging around him and he liked him. He was a good kid with a fun temperament and a golden heart. Plus he was just so cute sometimes. Seeing him cry, because of his precious Sasuke no less, tugged at Itachi's heart.

Sasuke was horrified with himself. He couldn't believe what he'd said to Naruto and he wished he could take it back. He had gotten so angry, so fast, he hadn't been able to control his mouth. And now he'd made Naruto cry. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water over him and then pushed him into a pit of needles. Guilt, regret, pain and hurt were flushing around inside him and he opened his mouth, trying to think of what to say to make it better.

But no words could come.

Naruto was still in hysterical tears, and both the Uchiha children had no idea what to say or do to help.

Fugaku swept into the room at that moment, walking straight past his sons and right over to the crying boy. He bent down and picked Naruto up. Automatically the blond wrapped his legs around as much of Fugaku's waist as he could and pressed his face into the man's shoulder, sobbing loudly. Fugaku used one arm to support the blond and the other was rubbing his back soothingly.

He turned to his sons, fixing them both with a stern look that they used to get when they were younger and had been caught with their fingers in the cookie jar-or his wallet, depending which son it was.

"Sasuke, you are grounded. No TV, no computer, no games, no going out, _nothing_. You stay in your room and read a book or sleep, but I will not hear a peep from you! Do you understand me?" he barked, and Sasuke cringed slightly, nodding his head. It had been a long time since his father used that tone with him. Even when he was rebelling before, his father hadn't sounded like this. Something about the situation involving a five year old seemed to change him. It reverted him back to the father he was before...the incident.

"Itachi. You will make sure Sasuke doesn't leave this house. And you will search his room for any more cigarettes and throw them away. Is that clear?"

Itachi nodded immediately, letting go of Sasuke and standing aside. Fugaku gave him a nod and gave Sasuke a look that was filled with something that made the youngest Uchiha tremble with remorse.

Disappointment.

His father was disappointed with him. He could handle anger, and even sadness or frustration. But disappointment? That wasn't something that Fugaku showed often. Even with his rebellious nature, Fugaku hadn't been disappointed in him. He'd been angry, upset, annoyed, frustrated...but he'd never been disappointed. At least, not like he was now.

"W-where are you going?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, watching as his father carried the crying child through the house.

"I'm taking Naruto out to calm him down and cheer him up. Then I'm going to call his mother and ask her what she would like me to do," Fugaku said. "She might want me to bring him to her work, or call another babysitter for him."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but Itachi gripped his shoulder, shaking his head and nodding pointedly towards Naruto.

The blond wasn't sobbing as much, but he was hiccupping something fierce and sniffling pathetically. His hands were clinging to Fugaku's shirt and he refused to lift his head and look anywhere near Sasuke.

Sasuke shut his mouth and hung his head.

Fugaku gathered up Naruto's jacket and the plush fox he'd brought with him, all while carrying the boy, and walked out the front door.

Silence descended on the Uchiha house. Itachi stood for a moment before he walked upstairs and went into Sasuke's room to search for any secret cigarettes. Sasuke stood still in the kitchen, his head down and his eyes blank. He couldn't get the image of Naruto crying out of his mind, nor could he forget the blond's shout.

"_Stupid ugly Sasuke!"_

Itachi returned soon, having found no more cigarettes. He stood before Sasuke awkwardly for a moment before sighing heavily and taking a hold of his brother's elbow. Without a word, he led Sasuke down the hall and up the stairs, taking him to his room and leading him to sit on the bed.

Just before he left, he heard Sasuke speak.

"I really am stupid..."

Itachi frowned sadly, glancing over his shoulder. He felt a shiver of sadness slice through his body when he saw that Sasuke was clutching into the floral-patterned pillow that belonged to their mother. Closing his eyes, Itachi turned and left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

* * *

><p>Fugaku had taken Naruto out for ice cream and then, to make sure the blond wouldn't break down again, he bought him a nice plush toy that Naruto pointed out when told he could get one. Fugaku had plenty of money, and he was happy to spend some to make Naruto happy. His own sons were so old now; they hardly spent time with him. Itachi did make time for him, but as he was an adult, they spent that time talking about grown-up things like politics and life and the best ways to enslave the human race.<p>

It was nice to just go out and get some ice cream and talk about silly, mundane things, like learning to tie shoelaces and 'that funny nursery rhyme that Ms Hinata tries to sing but she keeps stuttering'. It made him think back to the days when he would do the same with Sasuke and Itachi.

He missed those days. Back then he was still called 'Daddy' or 'Dad'; he was still hugged every time he came home from work and he was always the strong saviour that helped his sons when they needed.

Now he was just 'Father' or 'Old man' or 'Fugaku'. Lord, he had never hated his name as much as he did now. Especially when it was spoken in the cold tone of an estranged son.

He and Naruto sat at a park a few blocks from their houses, licking their ice cream. Naruto had a double scoop of chocolate while Fugaku had gotten mint. He was rather partial to mint. Naruto clutched the plush toy in his arms; it was a squishy, fat, black bird with a dorky hairstyle. Fugaku had a guess as to why he chose it among the selection of brighter, cuter toys.

"He didn't mean it," he said. Naruto looked up, his tongue poking out of his lips after having taken a lick of his treat. Fugaku smiled at the small smears of ice cream around his mouth. He was a messy little eater. Reaching for a napkin, Fugaku handed it to the blond to clean up.

"Sasuke didn't mean those nasty things he said," he continued. Naruto looked down, eyes sad.

"...B-but he was so mad! I didn't mean to make him mad," Naruto mumbled and took a slow lick of his ice cream. His hair fell into his eyes and Fugaku couldn't help but think he needed a haircut. His parent-reactions were kicking in. "But I don't want Sasuke to die..."

The whisper bought a smile to Fugaku's stern face. This child was adorable.

"Naruto, what did your mom tell you about cigarettes?" he asked, taking a solid bite out of his own treat. He saw Naruto stare at him in horror for the action and grinned.

"Well...she said that smoking was bad," Naruto began, swinging his legs. "And she said that if someone smoked lots, they would get crab and die!" he waved his hand about, looking upset again.

Fugaku tilted his head. "Crab?" he repeated, confused before it clicked. "Oh, you mean _cancer_!" he corrected, remembering the star sign. He found it amusing that Naruto would remember astrology as a link for words. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah! She told me that her mom had can-sir and that she died from it! I don't want Sasuke to get can-sir and die!" Naruto looked genuinely distraught by the mere thought.

Fugaku smiled and reached over, ruffling his hair. Naruto peered up at him through one eye, his other one closed from the affectionate gesture.

"Naruto, do you know what happened to Sasuke's mom?" Fugaku asked suddenly. Naruto blinked and shook his head. "Well, when Sasuke was younger, his mom went to the doctor and they said that she had cancer," Fugaku began.

Naruto gasped dramatically, nearly dropping his ice cream. "Oh no! So she...is she..." he trailed off, staring at Fugaku as the man nodded solemnly.

"Yes. She died a year and a half ago."

Naruto looked ready to cry. "Did she smoke?" he asked and when Fugaku nodded, a tear beaded at the corner of his eye. "T-then why does Sasuke d-do it too?"

Fugaku sighed heavily, looking to the sky. "...Perhaps he does it because it makes him feel closer to her..." he mused. "Or he does it because I'm a bad father."

"You're not a bad dad," Naruto said honestly, looking up at him. "You love Sasuke and Itachi! And you look after them! You're a good dad!" Naruto insisted. Fugaku smiled.

"Thank you. Now, Naruto, I know this might be hard for you to understand," he began, scooting closer to the boy. "But when Sasuke's mom died, he was very, very upset. You see, Sasuke loved her the most. She used to spend a lot of time with him while I spent more time with Itachi. I love Sasuke and Itachi equally, but back then, they were both growing up at different stages and I was more...ready...to deal with Itachi's growth than Sasuke's. So his mother was there for Sasuke a lot. So when she died, Sasuke felt like he was left alone. Itachi and I tried to be there for him, but we just didn't know him as well as she did. We tried to get to know him but he shut us out. He was so sad about his mom that he barely gave us a chance."

Naruto was listening with wide eyes and rapt interest. Chocolate ice cream melted on his fingers, but he didn't pay it any mind, instead just holding his hands out further so that none of the droplets would land on him.

"Because he felt all alone, Sasuke ended up making some very bad friends. He started to do very bad things, and he wouldn't listen to me or Itachi when we told him to stop. He was doing these things because he wanted to try and forget about his mom. He wanted to move on from her death, but he didn't know how to. And so he did silly things. And smoking is one of them. I don't know how long he has been doing it, and I'm not going to ask. But I'm not going to let it continue. Not as long as I can stop it," Fugaku assured the blond and Naruto nodded.

"So...Sasuke's sad because his mom isn't there for him anymore?" Naruto asked, and Fugaku nodded, glad that his main point had gotten through to the boy.

Naruto looked down. "I kinda know how that feels," he muttered. Fugaku turned to him in surprise.

"What do you mean? Your mom and dad are alive and well, aren't they?" he asked, concerned.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, they're okay...but they're never there. I know they work hard to pay bills and keep food for us...but," Naruto looked guilty. "Sometimes I just wish that I could spend time with them! I wish we could go out like this, and go to parks and eat ice cream together! But they never have time!" Tears were once again welling up in Naruto's eyes and he rubbed at them fiercely. "But I don't want to ask, because I don't want them to get mad at me for getting in their way!"

Fugaku looked at the little boy sadly. He had once been a hard worker too. He had spent so much time at the office, he missed out on Itachi's first birthday and Sasuke's first words. It was only when their mother had threatened to leave him that he snapped out of his work and took time to spend with his family. And he never regretted that decision. He'd finally seen what he was missing and it made him work to be with his family.

Ironic, but true.

Naruto quickly stifled his tears and Fugaku wondered whether it would do any good to have a chat with Naruto's parents. He wasn't sure what he could change, but perhaps he could make them aware of their son's distress.

"But...Sasuke's still stupid!"

Fugaku looked down at Naruto's outburst and raised an eyebrow in perfect Uchiha fashion. "Not to disagree, but why do you say that?" he asked with an amused smile.

Naruto's lips pulled into a pout. "Because! He's not alone anymore! He's got you, and Itachi and...and he's got me too! And since I met him, I haven't felt so lonely anymore! We can keep each other company! But he wants to die and smoke those stupid cig-lets!"

Fugaku chuckled at the wording, but he was touched that Naruto cared so much for his son.

"Well...Maybe you should tell him that the next time you see him," Fugaku suggested. Naruto went quiet, licking at his ice cream. Finally, he spoke, but it was soft and hesitant.

"I'll wait...I don't think I want to see him yet. He's probably still mad at me," he mumbled.

"Naruto, I'm pretty sure he's not mad—"

"No, I'll wait!" Naruto cut him off and Fugaku sighed, knowing that the blond had made up his mind.

"Alright. I'll call your mom and ask her where to take you. Perhaps you can sit at her work?"

Naruto shrugged, continuing to eat his ice cream while holding tightly to his new plush toy.

Later on, Fugaku learned that he had affectionately named it Sass, and he smiled; his guess was right.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was sitting on his bed, curled up in the corner with his knees drawn to his chest. He realized how pathetic he probably looked, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The images of Naruto crying, his eyes wide and hurt because of Sasuke, haunted him.<p>

And the craving was eating him alive. He longed for a cigarette. He longed to light one up and inhale the toxic fumes. He longed to feel the burn, taste the tobacco and feel that strange sense of calm it gave him. Especially with the guilt that was eating at him now. It was horrible.

His body shook with the trembles. His hands ached. His eyes glanced to the window. He could escape through there. He could climb out and climb down from the porch roof. He'd done it before. He could rush to the store and buy another pack, or he could go to Suigetsu's house and snatch one off from him. It would be so easy. Itachi wouldn't even see it coming.

The temptation was so great he found himself sliding towards the window. He just needed one to calm down. Just one and he'd be okay. At least for a while.

He approached the window, gripping the edge with slim fingers and tugged.

The window didn't budge. Sasuke stared at it, his mouth parting slightly before he tugged again. Still it didn't move and he began to tug fiercer until it was rattling in place and he was hissing profanities under his breath.

"Did you really believe me to be so stupid, little brother?" Itachi's calm voice cut through his frantic actions and he stopped tugging the window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass.

"I'd hoped you would be," he mumbled. He heard Itachi walk into the room, closing the door behind him. The creak of a mattress let him know Itachi had taken a seat on his bed, casual as ever. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, never taking his head away from the window.

"I'm here to fulfil my duties as a big brother," Itachi stated. Sasuke scowled.

"I don't need your lectures—"

"Not those duties, idiot," Itachi cut off and Sasuke turned to him, blinking when Itachi patted the space beside him. "No, I'm here to sit and listen to your side of the story, and offer a shoulder for you to snivel on should your inner-baby emerge."

Sasuke scowled again. "I don't need your pity—"

"Sit the fuck down," Itachi growled and Sasuke found himself sitting automatically, eyes wide. Itachi didn't speak like that. Sasuke wasn't sure he'd ever heard Itachi use that curse word before and frankly it threw him off balance.

"Sasuke, I know you've been going through a tough time. Believe it or not, I've gone through it too!" Itachi said. Sasuke scoffed.

"I doubt that," he mumbled. He almost yelped in surprise when Itachi gripped his shoulders tightly, almost painfully, and glared into his eyes.

"She was my mother too!"

Silence covered them after that, with Itachi glaring at Sasuke and the younger boy staring with wide eyes at Itachi. Finally the older brother continued on, breaking the tense silence.

"I know you were close to her. I realize that you and father never really bonded, or that you and I never spent as much time together as we probably should have. But just because she was there for you the most doesn't mean she was the only one! We are here for you Sasuke, you need to give us a chance! You think we're not suffering too? Father suffers every single day! With every single angry outburst of yours, he suffers more and more because he feels like he is failing as a father! I suffer! Every time you push me away, or I see you walking off with those gang members of yours, I feel like such a worthless brother!"

Sasuke shook slightly, the grip on his shoulders brushing into the painful region. He swallowed heavily, avoiding Itachi's angry and pleading eyes. He didn't want to have this conversation.

"I t-thought you said no lectures," he said, trying to steer the conversation away.

"SASUKE!" Itachi yelled, patience gone.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!_?_" Sasuke screamed back, feeling cornered and panicked. He'd never had to face this before. It had always just bee him. It was always just him that was suffering. Never had he actually contemplated on how his brother and father were feeling. They always seemed so cold and calm. He assumed that they had moved on; that they had each other and had left him behind as they continued with their lives. He never thought that his rebellious actions were causing real pain to them. He had gotten so hooked on the idea that they didn't care, or that they saw him as a burden and a cruel reminder of the woman that was stolen from them. Too hear that he had been hurting them all this time as he tried to manage with his own hurt...

It was too much.

"What the fuck do you want me to do? What can I do!_?_" he yelled, squeezing his eyes shut tight and trying to push Itachi away.

"Let us in, Sasuke! Stop pushing us away!" Itachi retorted, tightening his hold on his brother. Sasuke shook his head furiously, fighting even harder. Itachi felt a fist connect with his jaw, but he ignored the throb and instead pushed forward, dragging Sasuke into a very unwanted hug. The younger sibling was yelling random profanities and mixed up phrases. Itachi could hear the underlying message to them all, however. Sasuke wasn't able to accept that, after all this time of suffering, he had never really been alone. It was the denial that was making him panic. Itachi couldn't blame him. He and his father had stupidly waited on the outskirts, hoping that Sasuke would come to them so that they could all grieve over Mikoto's death together and grow as a family. And they had waited and waited, but Sasuke drifted further and further away until he was barely recognisable anymore.

And now Itachi was doing what he should've done in the first place. He was stepping over the boundary line and walking into Sasuke's lonely circle, forcing his way into Sasuke's misery and sharing it with him. It was foreign for the both of them, but where Itachi felt hope, Sasuke was feeling fear. He was used to dealing with things one way. He was used to feeling lonely and being unhappy on his own. To imagine sharing that sadness with his family, and growing with them...it was frightening.

Itachi didn't say a thing when Sasuke's frantic shouts turned into hysterical screams, instead he just closed his eyes and took the blows Sasuke showered on him.

And then, just when Itachi wondered if he was making a mistake, Sasuke yelled out something entirely new, in a voice that was so broken and devastated it made Itachi want to cry too.

"MAMA!" Sasuke shrieked, tears pouring down his face before he curled in on himself, and subsequently into Itachi's arms. And then he cried. He cried the tears he hid away before. He cried out the pain that he'd been feeding off of, and the loneliness that he'd covered himself with. He sobbed and bawled and cried like a small, frightened child because that's what he was.

And throughout this all, Itachi held him tight and whispered soothing noises and rubbed his back. His own tears dripped silently down his cheeks, his shuddering breaths hidden by Sasuke's loud sobs.

Together, they grieved.

* * *

><p>When Fugaku entered his house, he noted how quiet it was. At first, he relished the peace, but before he could even step into the hallway properly, a horrible feeling twisted his gut and images of his sons lying on the floor, hurt or dead, invaded his mind.<p>

He ran through the house, checking each room downstairs before rushing upstairs. He should've called out, but the fear of not having a reply was too great and so he kept silent. He couldn't receive no reply if he didn't call, after all.

He ran to Itachi's room and his heart beat frantically when it was empty. Turning on his heel he sprinted to Sasuke's room, praying to every deity out there that his sons were unharmed. That he hadn't lost any more of his family and his heart.

Shoving the door open, he froze on the spot at the scene before him.

His sons were lying on Sasuke's bed, curled up like young children with their hands by their faces between them and their knees bumping. Tear tracks were visible on their cheeks, but their sleeping faces were content. Fugaku let out a breath of relief and awe and quietly walked over, staring down at his children.

Sasuke wasn't all that much shorter than Itachi, and it made Fugaku nostalgic to the times when the boy was so small that Fugaku could carry him in the crook of his arm alone. Now Sasuke was a man in body, but still a child at heart and soul. He blinked when Sasuke's serene face scrunched up, an unpleasant dream drifting into his mind and making his eyelids flutter violently. Fugaku saw him twitch and knew that Sasuke was getting deeper into his dream. Without hesitating, the Uchiha father leant over Itachi and gently placed his hand on Sasuke's head, brushing his hair and caressing his cheek in a soothing matter. Sasuke groaned slightly in his sleep before settling, his eyelashes ceasing their dance and his face smoothing out into serenity once more. Fugaku smiled and leant back. It was as if they were back in time and he was comforting a five year old Sasuke from a nightmare without the boy's knowledge.

He heard a snuffing sound and looked over again, grinning widely when he saw that Itachi had stuck a thumb in his mouth.

Itachi may have been an adult but Fugaku knew that inside, he was just as much of a child as Sasuke was.

Watching his two sons sleep for a moment, he marvelled at the scene. He knew, just by looking at them, that something had changed. Something had shifted in their small family, and he had a feeling that when his boys woke up, Sasuke would be different. He would still be short-tempered, sarcastic Sasuke, but he would be his son again and not the estranged person that Fugaku tried so hard to understand.

Grabbing a blanket, he carefully covered his children and stroked both of their heads, laughing silently when Itachi chewed on his own thumb in his sleep. Then he quietly retreated, closing the door behind him. For a moment he leant against it, and a small, happy smile slid onto his face.

'_Mikoto...I think we're finally starting to heal._'

* * *

><p>"That's a nice toy you have there, Naruto," Minato said casually as he sat at the breakfast table with his family. It was the first time in a long while that he had a morning off. He still had to go into the office later on, but he could relax during the morning and have breakfast with his son and wife. Kushina also had a morning to herself, but she had to go in earlier than he did, leaving her just enough time to eat breakfast with them, wash up and then fly off to work.<p>

Naruto looked up, smiling while he held the raven plush up. "It's name is Sass!" he announced. Minato titled his head at the name while Kushina smiled.

"Oh, that's a nice name. Why'd you name it that?" she asked, taking a bite of her toast.

"Because it looks like Sasuke," Naruto replied easily and both his parents looked up.

"Sasuke?" Minato asked, confused. "Who—"

"Naruto's babysitter dear," Kushina reminded him. "The boy next door?"

Minato furrowed his blond brows, trying to recall an image. Suddenly a memory flashed in his mind of a dark haired, pale boy dressed in black with chains on his jeans and all around a very rebel look. Yes, the boy who had brought Naruto home the one time that he had forgotten after getting another load of work.

"That boy? The rebel boy?" he asked, shocked. "He's Naruto's new babysitter?" He hadn't been paying much attention to the baby-sitter ordeal. There was a new project at work that required all his attention.

At this Naruto looked at the table, his face pulled down into a frown. Kushina tilted her head.

"What's the matter dear? He's a nice boy. Naruto really likes him, and Sakura even said that we could leave Naruto up to him instead of her from now on," she said, missing the strange smirk that briefly stole over Naruto's lips before the frown returned.

Minato looked pensive. "But have you gotten a good look at him? He doesn't seem like a good influence on Naruto! For all we know he could be giving Naruto drugs or teaching him violence!"

There was silence at the table as Kushina considered his words. Personally she didn't think that the Uchiha boy was so bad. Yes, his dress style was questionable, but didn't most teenagers dress outrageously nowadays? She'd seen plenty a teenager wearing chains, and even her boss's son wore the same kind of clothing, but he was a charming boy.

"At least he's there."

The quiet murmur made both adults turn to their little boy, whose head was still down.

"Pardon?" Kushina said, having missed the exact whisper. Naruto looked up, and they were shocked to see the hinting of tears and anger in his big blue eyes.

"I said at least he's there! Sasuke is there for me! He helped me when I was bullied! He came to pick me up when you didn't! He plays with me and makes me happy! He got mad at Sakura because she never baby-sitted me properly! He's always there for me when I need him!"

"Naruto—"

"But you guys aren't!" Naruto yelled, tears leaking down his face. "You never are!"

Both adults were stunned into silence and they couldn't even move when Naruto pushed away from the table, jumping down from his seat and rushing out of the room.

Naruto ran to his bedroom and hurried to his little wardrobe. He pulled open the bottom drawer, yanking out the large frog-shaped backpack that his grandpa Jiraiya had gotten him for his third birthday. It was nice and spacious, with a horizontal zipper that marked the frog's mouth and two big eyes at the top. Two long legs hung down the bottom, sweeping his knees and two stubby arms sprung out on either side of the bag.

It was perfect.

Without stopping to ponder his actions, he tossed in his favourite shirt and pants, a spare jacket and a pair of shoes. Then he grabbed his favourite toys and shoved them inside, including the fox plush he treasured as much as Sass. Lastly, he crawled under his bed and pulled up a floorboard, revealing his secret stash of sweets. It was a collection he had gained through Sasuke and some of the sweets Sakura had given him when she asked him not to tell his mom and dad about the naughty things she did. He grabbed the impressive collection and stuffed it into his frog pack, closing it up with a final zip. His floppy frog now looked fat and plump like a real bullfrog and Naruto felt a small spark of cheer at that.

Hoisting the bag onto his back and securing the straps, he then grabbed Sass and crawled onto his bed and over to the window. He knew better than to go downstairs. He didn't want his mom or dad trying to stop him. He opened the window and climbed out, gulping down at the drop. Although it wasn't all that bad, to him it seemed so far and he was certain that if he fell he would die.

But he didn't rethink his plan. No, he was intent on going through with it. He crawled along the short railing, his hands shaking slightly as he reached the edge by the drain pipe. With a small sound of nervousness, he gripped it and began to shimmy down. He was pleased that there were little ledges on the way down for him to put his feet or he was sure he would've fallen.

When he reached the ground he grinned triumphantly, feeling like a hero for making it. With a final, solemn look at his house he turned and started to run down the street. He would've gone to Sasuke's house, but it had only been two days since Sasuke yelled at him and he was still scared that the Uchiha was mad at him. But he promised he would see Sasuke soon. For now he was just going to enjoy his freedom.

Meanwhile, in the Uchiha house, Itachi was trying valiantly to cook a meal without burning it. He was a genius at so many things, but when it came to cooking he was worse than an amateur. He was like Bart Simpson in the kitchen; he could burn cereal.

"Don't break, don't break, don't break," he chanted as he slowly cracked an egg into the pan. "Don't breeeeeaaak—"

The egg broke.

"Dammit!" Itachi snapped, throwing his head back in frustration as the yellow yolk of the egg oozed across the pan even as the white began to bubble from the heat.

Fugaku sat at the kitchen table, smiling. He usually cooked the meals, but Itachi had insisted on trying and Fugaku found it very amusing.

There were soft steps before Sasuke walked into the room, wearing a plain blue shirt and white shorts. He stood in the doorway, his brother and father looking at him, and he shuffled his feet. Since his breakdown with Itachi, he'd stayed in his room like a good boy because he was still grounded. On the occasions when Itachi and Fugaku had peered in to check on him, he answered their questions with soft words of agreement or denial. Itachi had explained what had happened to Fugaku, but the older male hadn't said a thing about it to Sasuke yet. He was waiting for the signal that Sasuke was composed enough to accept his advance without it backfiring and closing him off even more.

Sasuke bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to act around his family anymore. He'd grown accustomed to anger and defiance. Now he wanted to get along with them. He wanted to become a family again, but he had no idea how to go about it. The past few weeks, where he had communicated with them normally, seemed foreign. He just didn't know how to act. Was he supposed to be quiet and polite? Was it okay to mock Itachi like he used to? Was it wrong to not spend all his time with them?

He looked up, trying to think of something to say. Luckily for him, or not, a new situation saved him from thinking too hard.

"Itachi, are the eggs supposed to be on fire?" he asked curiously.

Both the older Uchiha's whipped their heads around and Itachi started to jump around the kitchen like a maniac as the eggs burned with small flames. Fugaku sighed, getting out of his seat and shoving his oldest son into a chair. Then he grabbed the pan handle and quickly took it to the sink, pouring cold water on it. The eggs were inedible anyway.

"Sasuke please turn the stove to a lower temperature for me," he said as he worked to scrape the charred eggs out of the pan. Sasuke blinked, standing still for a moment. Itachi turned to him, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Squirt, the stove!" he urged, nudging Sasuke's leg with his toe. Sasuke snapped out of his trance and sent a glare to Itachi.

"I'm not a squirt!" he defended as he went over to the stove and turned the temperature down. He turned to Itachi. "Why the hell were you cooking eggs on eight?" he asked incredulously.

Itachi shrugged. "I was trying to speed-cook," he reasoned.

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief and turned to his father. "Did you drop him when he was little?" he asked seriously and Fugaku paused, head tilting up as he honestly thought about it.

"...As a matter of fact, I think I did once," he said, lips pulling into a thoughtful pout. Itachi gasped, shocked, while Sasuke turned to him with a cheeky smile.

"I knew it!" the younger sibling said and Itachi stared at his father.

"You dropped me? How could you?" he asked in mock horror. Fugaku shrugged nonchalantly.

"You asked me too. I was carrying you to your room and you were screaming for me to put you down. So I did," he turned and gave Itachi a smug look. "Just not the way they tell you to in parenting books," he finished.

Sasuke chuckled briefly before he caught himself and stopped. But Itachi and Fugaku were looking at him with pleased faces. He stared back at them before leaning back, his lips drawing up in annoyance.

"What're you staring at?" he asked cautiously but the others only shook their heads and continued what they were doing. Sasuke moved to sit down as their father started to prepare a real breakfast, and a comfortable silence fell over them. It was different to all the silences before. They had all been laced with unsaid anger, anxiety and were so tense that no one could relax. But now, all of them were calm and at peace.

And Sasuke found he wanted it to stay this way.

The day passed by, and by the afternoon, Sasuke was sure that he had never felt so good. Things were so calm at home that he didn't want to leave. They were all watching a movie, and despite the fact that there was no talking, Sasuke felt so comfortable. Was this what he had been missing all along?

And to think, it was all because of Naruto—

His peaceful face fell as he thought of the small blond. He had yet to see him, and guilt was still gnawing at his insides. He knew he had to say sorry. Naruto was only thinking of his health in that childish way that belonged to five year olds. And though the craving was still there, Sasuke's newfound peace with his family was stunting it, making it bearable.

He looked over to the window, seeing Naruto's house. He noticed his parents standing out on the front, looking like they were arguing. His brows furrowed when Kushina started to motion to Naruto's bedroom window, and then the drainpipe before she suddenly hunched and Minato pulled her into a hug.

A growing trepidation filled him and he stood up, walking towards the door. Itachi paused the movie behind him.

"Sasuke? What's up?"

"Something's wrong," Sasuke mumbled, pointing to the window again before he walked into the hall. Itachi and Fugaku followed his finger and saw the arguing couple.

"Oh dear," Fugaku mumbled as they both stood up and followed Sasuke through the hall and out the front door. Sasuke walked up to the fence separating their properties, resting his hands on the wooden barrier.

"Mrs Uzumaki? Is something wrong?" he asked. He was aware that it may have just been a lover's quarrel, but something in his gut and his heart said otherwise. Kushina turned around, eyes watering, and found Sasuke. She let out a short sob and jumped from the porch, leaving her husband behind as she rushed over.

"Sasuke! Please, _please_ tell me that Naruto is with you!" she begged. Sasuke paled, eyes widening and that was answer enough. Kushina buried her face in her hands. "My baby is gone!" she cried.

"G-gone? What do you mean gone?" Sasuke said, voice cracking as he turned to face Minato as the blond man came forward. He looked highly distressed.

"Naruto's gone. We had a bit of an argument at breakfast and he went upstairs. We assumed that he had just gone to his room to seethe, but when Kushina went up earlier to say goodbye he wasn't there. We think he climbed out of the window and down the drainpipe," he explained, his voice shaky as he wrapped an arm around Kushina's shoulders.

Sasuke looked between them, the horrible realization setting in. Naruto had run away. Naruto had run away from home and he hadn't come to Sasuke.

"What time was this? How long as he been gone?" he asked, already digging through his mind to try and think of a place Naruto would go.

"I went to say goodbye at ten! He went up to his room at eight! He could've left anytime between then!" Kushina sobbed. "Oh, it's our entire fault!" she cried, turning and burying her face into Minato's chest.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder as the younger boy hung his head, his body tense.

"Naruto said that we were never there for him. It's what started the little fight," Minato said sadly. He didn't know if a fight truly classified what it had been. In all truths it had been Naruto calling them out on their mistake of leaving him alone, and then leaving before they had a chance to talk it through.

"Sasuke, do you have an idea of where Naruto may have gone?" Fugaku asked, looking towards his son. Sasuke bit his lip, brows furrowing in rapid thought. There were several places he could think of. The blond had dragged him to many places throughout the town which he liked. He could've gone to anyone of them and searching them all would take up too much time, especially if they didn't find him in the first three.

His eyes widened with an idea and he quickly turned around. "Itachi, lend me your phone!"

Itachi didn't question, just sliding his phone out of his pocket and tossing it to his brother. Sasuke dialled in a number he knew in his heart and pressed the device to his ear.

"Yo."

"Suigetsu, it's me."

"Sasuke! Haven't heard from you in a while! What's up man?"

"I need your help. And Juugo too," Sasuke said quickly, already starting to walk towards the car. He motioned for his father and Itachi to follow. Briefly he stopped and turned to Naruto's parents.

"Try the day care centre first, and if he's not there go to the ice cream parlour down the block from there," he said and they nodded, rushing to their car.

"What's happening Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, sounding curious.

"Naruto's gone missing and I need your help finding him," Sasuke said as he got into the back seat of the car. Itachi climbed in the front and Fugaku got behind the wheel. "There's a park on West Avenue he likes. Let's star there," Sasuke said to him and his father nodded while Sasuke turned back to the phone.

"...You're calling us to go on a search?" Suigetsu asked and Sasuke growled. "Okay okay! I'll call Juugo. Where should we start?"

"Tell Juugo to go to the bridge near Storm Park and check under it. Describe Naruto to him. You go look at the fairgrounds. They'll be closed but he might've gone there just to hang around the rides," Sasuke instructed.

"Alright, will do."

"Suigetsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Sasuke said earnestly. There was a moment of silence where he could feel the other teens shock before a snort came from the phone.

"Aw, Sasuke. Once we find him, would you like us to have a sleepover? Maybe we can synchronize our periods!" Suigetsu taunted. Sasuke grinned.

"Go to hell."

"Much better," Suigetsu laughed before hanging up. Sasuke clicked the phone shut and handed it back to Itachi who just smirked and slid it into his pocket. They arrived at the park and Sasuke scrambled out, rushing into its barriers. He ignored the people that were about, walking past several jungle gyms and other such attractions. He knew exactly where Naruto would be if he had come to this park.

He saw the swings and hurried over, but there was no blond in sight. Disappointment and fear started to grow in his chest. He wanted to find Naruto quickly. Many of the areas Naruto liked were in bad neighbourhoods, much to Sasuke's displeasure. He needed Naruto to be found before someone else did.

"He's not here, let's go!" he called, rushing back to the car just as Fugaku had finished closing his door. The two older Uchiha's shared a look before they climbed back in and drove to the next destination Sasuke pointed out.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was nearing frantic when they still hadn't found Naruto even after checking the third park. Fugaku had suggested they stop by home to check if Minato or Kushina had had any luck. They would have called but none of them had their cell numbers, a fact that Sasuke promised to rectify in case something like this ever happened again.<p>

As the car pulled up, they saw the couple standing by their car. The hopeful expressions on their faces told the Uchiha's all they needed to know, and Sasuke slammed his hand onto the seat beside him, making the whole car tremble.

"Dammit, where the hell is he?" he bit out, climbing out of the car. Minato and Kushina's faces fell when no blond came out of the car and Sasuke couldn't meet their eyes.

He could hear Kushina starting to cry again, and he bit his lip, trying to think of where else the blond would be.

Suddenly a trilling made them all jump. Itachi blinked, reaching back to his phone and flipping it open.

"Hello?"

He listened for a moment before holding the phone out to Sasuke. "For you."

Sasuke took it, pressing it to his ear and with a hopeful voice he answered. "Suigetsu?"

"You owe me man. You owe me fucking big time!" Suigetsu's voice was irritated, but in the background Sasuke could hear another noise. It was Naruto's voice, arguing loudly and shouting for him to let go. His heart soared.

"You found him!" he said, and immediately everyone's attention was focused on him.

"Yeah. He was on his way to the fairgrounds. I happened to catch up with him—I AM NOT A CREEPY CHILD EATER YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Suigetsu's frustrated yell made Sasuke jerk the phone away from his ear and wince. It seemed Naruto didn't realize just who Suigetsu was.

"Anyway, I'm bringing him over-Don't you dare!-I'm bringing him over to your place. You owe me-OW! Okay kid, that's it!"

Sasuke blinked as the dial tone met his ear and he stared at the phone, wondering what Naruto was doing to his friend for Suigetsu to get so worked up.

"Did you find him?" Kushina asked, looking at him with wide eyes. At Sasuke's nod she sobbed happily and jumped forwards, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Sasuke froze under the hug, the unfamiliar feeling of a woman holding him making him uncomfortable. Kushina's hug reminded him of the times when he was younger, when his own mother would embrace him like this.

He awkwardly patted her back, glaring at Itachi who was laughing silently at him.

The group waited outside their houses anxiously for Suigetsu to return with the wayward child.

Sasuke's ears perked up when he heard a familiar howl of pain and he turned to look up the drive, seeing Suigetsu walking down the sidewalk. The silver-haired teen was struggling to carry a very angry, very uncooperative Naruto. The five year old was wriggling madly in his hold, constantly trying to jump over his shoulder or escape and Suigetsu was looking more and more flustered, his hair getting messy when Naruto tried to vault over his head. He only just managed to stop the blond, pulling him back and trying to tuck him under his arm like a bag. When his violet eyes spotted Sasuke, he let out a happy howl and sprinted down the drive, his boots crunching loudly on the gravel.

"Hallelujah!" Suigetsu yelled and taking a firm hold of Naruto, he actually threw the small child straight at Sasuke. Sasuke lunged forwards, arms outstretched and he caught the yelling blond, automatically holding him to his chest, backpack and all.

Suigetsu was panting, his hair was a mess and he was flushed. All signs that his walk to Sasuke's house had been one of the most aggravating trips he'd ever made. He didn't even wait to hear any thanks, instead turning and throwing his hands up as he walked away.

"I am never having kids! Never! _EVER_! Not in _this_ lifetime _or_ the next!" he declared loudly as he left the premises.

Sasuke grinned, but it fell away when he felt Naruto clutching his shirt. Turning his head down, he was faced with golden hair and he placed a hand on Naruto's back under the strangely shaped bag, his other arm supporting the child.

"Naruto?"

"...Are you still mad at me?" Naruto mumbled, turning his head to peek up at Sasuke cautiously. Sasuke blinked before a half-smile, half-smirk settled on his face.

"No, I'm not mad," he said and when Naruto turned to him fully, he tweaked his nose. "I'm sorry."

Naruto twitched his nose, trying to get rid of the feeling of Sasuke's pinch, but at the raven's soft words he grinned.

"Good! 'Cause I didn't do anything wrong!" he insisted and Sasuke chuckled.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked around, noticing his parents coming towards them. He held onto Sasuke tighter, staring at them with disbelief in his eyes.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "You had work."

Kushina put a hand over her mouth, holding back a sob. "Honey, how could we go to work when our little boy has run away?" she asked sadly. Naruto turned his face into Sasuke's chest slightly, looking out at her with suspicious eyes. Seeing that look on her five year old son's face was like a punch in the heart for Kushina. Her little boy didn't believe her. When had he changed from her obedient, happy little child to this boy who didn't even want to look at her directly?

She knew it was her fault. And Minato's fault. They had thrown themselves into their work. It had started because of how bad their money situation had been in their old home. The amount of debts to pay and the bills and rent...it had gotten so bad that they were forced to move. Minato had borrowed money from his father to pay the mortgage for their new house and then after that they had worked harder and harder, constantly throwing themselves into work at every opportunity to pay off the bills that just kept coming. They had explained to Naruto that they needed to work, and he had said that he understood.

But how could she have imagined that it wouldn't affect him. Naruto was five. Five years old, and his parents weren't there to spend time with him. Rare occasions when they did have time, they didn't really pay him attention like they should. They would sit with him and listen to his chatter, but nothing truly registered in their minds. Kushina couldn't even remember the name of Naruto's best friend at school. She wasn't even sure if he had one.

The thought hurt and she held out her arms pleadingly.

Naruto held Sasuke tighter. He had been foiled in his plan to start living on his own, all because of the creepy shark-boy that found him and dragged him home. And now his mom and dad were still here instead of at work, looking worried. He didn't know if this was an act. He didn't want to get scolded, but even more than that he didn't want to hope that they were going to be there for him, only to leave him alone again.

Sasuke felt the blond's hesitation, and he had a clue as to why Naruto was so apprehensive. He shifted Naruto in his arms slightly.

"Hey," he said, coaxing the blond to look at him, "She was really worried about you. And so was your dad. You made her cry...don't you think that means something important?" he asked.

Naruto sat in his arms for a moment, hands clutching tightly to Sasuke's shirt. His eyes were blankly staring at his chest, small breaths puffing out onto the material and Sasuke could feel the warmth seeping through. Everyone waited with baited breath, wondering what the little blond would decide.

Finally, after a tense silence, Naruto gave an almost invisible nod that only Sasuke noticed as he felt it against his chest. Slowly, Naruto turned around in his hold and hesitantly held his arms out towards his parents.

Kushina sobbed, jumping forward and pulling her baby boy into her arms. Minato came over and wrapped the both of them in his arms, a single tear running down his cheek as he embraced his family. Naruto spared Sasuke a glanced from between his parents' arms before he turned his face into his mother's chest and returned their hugs.

Sasuke smiled at the display, knowing that this family had taken the first step to healing...just like his.

He felt Itachi stand behind him and his father's hand on his shoulder, and for one blissful moment it was as if he could feel his mother taking his hand, smiling at him for doing a good job.

* * *

><p>Sasuke scribbled down another answer on his worksheet, his head supported by his hand as he lazily stared at the paper. Since he started paying attention during the important classes, he realized that things were really easy and he was soon at the top of the class. The change in his demeanour shocked the entire school, and rumours flew back and forth like tennis balls in a tournament. Many of them speculated that he had gotten a girlfriend that changed him, but he only snorted at that. Others said he had found religion. Once again, he snorted. Still some said he was up to something, that he was planning a massive school take-over once he got all the teachers relaxed.<p>

Sasuke actually laughed at that one.

He turned his head, gazing out the window while he thought of the real reason that he had changed.

Naruto.

The now six-year old boy had swooped into his life unexpectedly and become the beacon of light that guided him from the dark. Sasuke didn't know what had drawn him towards the blond. Perhaps it was that same loneliness that they shared in their eyes; the loneliness of being left behind. Perhaps he had seen it that day that Naruto's ball smacked his head, signifying their very first encounter. Or later, when he was helping him get his bag from the car?

He didn't know. But he was drawn to the blond, and he had developed an attachment, almost like a maternal feeling. He didn't know what he could signify himself as in the blond's life. He thought of him as his friend. As family. Naruto was his little brother, and sometimes Sasuke even felt himself acting like a father to the blond, whether on purpose or not.

It was almost a year now since they had met and Sasuke wouldn't ever forget it.

A hand smacking his desk made him jolt and turn around to find his teacher staring at him.

"Is the world outside more fascinating than my lecture?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow at the Uchiha. Sasuke looked down at his worksheet, seeing he had completed it before he looked up with a smirk.

"Yes, yes to me it is," he replied politely. Snickers erupted around the class while his teacher snatched his worksheet, looking it over. Seeing it was finished, the man just sighed.

"Keep yourself busy and keep quiet," he instructed, walking back to the front while Sasuke just turned back to the window, smiling slightly to himself. The blue sky outside reminded him of Naruto's eyes.

He arrived home after school, having spent a short time with Suigetsu and Juugo at a park just chatting and scaring off some park bullies. Since his change, he'd noticed that both Suigetsu and Juugo were doing the same. Though, Suigetsu was changing the most. When Sasuke had questioned his new and, albeit better, attitude, the boy only shrugged and said that he was glad that Sasuke had found peace and he was working on finding some of his own. Juugo just stated that they were his only friends and that wouldn't change no matter what direction they were going in.

Glad that he had these two friends by his side, Sasuke could better stand the large differences at school.

Walking into his house, he called out his usual greeting of 'I'm home!'

"Think fast!"

Sasuke whipped around and ducked, hearing something splat against the wall where his head had been a second ago. Looking over his shoulder he saw what looked like a mutated pancake sliding down the wall slowly, leaving behind a disturbingly gooey trail.

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke turned back to his brother who was watching the gooey object's progress down the wall with fascination.

"I was trying to make pancakes, but I think I messed something into the batter. They just started oozing syrup and went all funky," Itachi said absently, using the spatula in his hand to prod at the failed pancake on the floor as if it was going to bite him. "I guess I wasn't supposed to put the syrup into the batter and cook them like meatballs."

Sasuke just stared at him. "...You're a freak."

Itachi just rolled his eyes towards him. "You're a chicken's ass."

"And I'm your evil creator," Fugaku chipped in as he walked past, briefly ruffling Sasuke's hair and nudging Itachi's crouching form with his foot. He paused when his eyes spotted the mutant pancake. "Itachi, I have no idea what you're attempting to create but please kill it with fire and dispose of it accordingly," he instructed and walked into his office. Sasuke snickered and left Itachi to dispose of his mess, climbing the stairs and shuffling into his room.

He tossed his bag onto his bed, slinging off his jacket before sitting at his desk and pulling out some homework. It was easy and he finished it quickly, shutting it back into his bag before lounging back in his chair, wondering what to do for the rest of the afternoon.

"Sasuke," Itachi called, stepping into the room. "The Energizer Bunny is downstairs eating your biscuits."

"Little brat!" Sasuke said, jumping to his feet and rushing past his brother. He raced down the stairs, jumping down the last two and throwing himself into the kitchen. "RELEASE THE BISCUITS!" he roared, pointing at the offender who turned to him with a biscuit hanging from his mouth and a small hand still in the tin.

"NEVER!" Naruto yelled, and then let out a squeal, grabbing the tin of biscuits and running through the house as Sasuke chased him. Fugaku stepped out of his office and only just managed to melt against the wall to avoid getting knocked over as the blond child came barrelling past, followed by a raging Sasuke.

He watched them rush out into the back garden where Sasuke proceeded to chase Naruto in circles, demanding the return of his biscuits. Itachi came downstairs, pausing beside him and watching the same scene.

"…He's really happy now, isn't he?" he said at length, a smile playing on his face as he watched his younger brother tackle Naruto. The child just crawled around him like an insect before Sasuke managed to grab him and start tickling his sides. The high peals of laughter floated through the open door and into their ears, accompanied by the deep baritone of Sasuke's joined amusement.

Fugaku watched them for a moment longer before he lowered his head, a full smile blossoming onto his face. He nodded slightly.

"Yes….I think we all are," he mumbled. Itachi nodded in agreement, folding his arms over his chest and smiling as he continued to watch the two outside.

"Mikoto will be able to rest in peace now," Fugaku added to himself, and looked up in time to see Sasuke's wide, happy grin as he fed Naruto a biscuit while the blond squirmed in his arms, cheeks red from their struggles and blue eyes glimmering in joy.

_Through one small change, true happiness had been achieved._

* * *

><p><strong>N'awww! ^_^ Happy ending!<br>**

**Kaoru: As expected from you, you big softie!  
><strong>

**Me: HEY! Actually, I had an entirely different plan for the ending! And it had a lot more sadness and angst involved too!  
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**Kaoru: Then why didn't you write it?  
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**Me: ._. The characters just ran off with my fingers and wrote their own ending...It was completed before I had the chance to finalize the plans for my ending...**

**Kaoru: Yeah yeah, suuuure. ¬_¬ *mumbles* You're just a big softie who can't stand unhappy endings.**

**Me: SO? D: HAPPY ENDINGS ARE ALWAYS BETTER!**

**... :D Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review with your thoughts! ^_^ THANKS!  
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